Departmental Spending

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what her latest estimate is of unallocated departmental spending in (a) 2005–06, (b) 2006–07, and (c) 2007–08; and if she will make a statement.

Richard Caborn: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to him by the Chief Secretary to the Treasury, my right hon. Friend (Mr. Boateng) on 2 February 2005, Official Report, column 910W.

Common Agricultural Policy

John Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what recent estimate she has made of how much the Common Agricultural Policy costs an average sized family in (a) increased food prices and (b) taxes.

Alun Michael: The Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) raises the price of agricultural products to consumers, though the specific effect will vary over time according to conditions in world markets and exchange rates. We can make an estimate of the cost of the CAP to consumers by comparing the domestic price of agricultural products with the world price. Our latest provisional estimate is for 2003 and this shows a cost to UK consumers in the range £4.50 to £5, per family of four, per week.
	The UK does not contribute to individual EU budget categories, rather it contributes to the entire EU budget. In order to provide an indication of the cost to UK taxpayers we have calculated a notional UK contribution to expenditure on the CAP. In 2003 we estimate this to have been around £5, per family of four, per week.
	It remains the Government's objective to bring the down the cost of the CAP to taxpayers and consumers.

Free Trade

John Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment she has made of the economic effects on (a) UK consumers and (b) the UK economy of allowing free trade in agricultural products.

Alun Michael: Allowing free trade in agricultural products would eliminate the costs to consumers of higher food prices generated by the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP). Our latest provisional estimate is for 2003 and this shows a cost to UK consumers in the range £4.50 to £5, per family of four, per week.
	Free trade in agricultural products would benefit the UK economy through a more efficient allocation of domestic resources. We have not made our own estimate of the magnitude of the effect; a number of such estimates have been published in academic journals. These estimated costs vary, according to the baseline and methodology used. A recent estimate (along with a review of previous studies) is contained in Philippidis, G., and Hubbard, L.J., (2001), 'The economic cost of the CAP revisited', "Agricultural Economics", 25, 375–385. This puts the economic cost of the CAP at around 0.2 per cent. of GDP for the EU and 0.5 per cent. for the UK. It should be noted that this estimate predates recent reforms, which will reduce the estimated economic costs of the CAP.
	The UK Government will continue to argue during the current World Trade Organisation round for further liberalisation of agricultural trade, which will bring economic benefits to both developed and developing countries.

Publicity

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what the total expenditure by her Department on (a) advertising and (b) advertising and publicity was in (i) 1996–97, (ii) 1997–98 and (iii) 2003–04; and what the estimate of cost of each will be in (A) 2004–05, (B) 2005–06, (C) 2006–07 and (D) 2007–08.

Alun Michael: I refer the hon. Member to the answers given on 20 November 2003, Official Report, column 1235W and 3 March 2004, Official Report, column 958W. This includes communications on a wide range of matters, much of it necessary or beneficial to the public and the wide range of industries in which Defra has an interest, together with local government, voluntary organisations and other bodies.
	Estimated costs for 2004–05 are not yet available and total allocations for advertising and publicity for 2005–06, 2006–07 and 2007–08 have not yet been made.

Research and Development

Anne Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what (a) her Department's expenditure and (b) the expenditure of each agency for which she is responsible on research and development relating to UK university departments and research centres in each year between 2001–02 and 2003–04.

Alun Michael: Defra is a major funder of research, currently spending over £150 million per annum on research services. The research budget is held within core-Defra. It is spent directly with contractor organisations and not accounted for through any of Defra's Executive Agencies. The figures provided are, therefore, limited to Defra expenditure alone.
	
		Defra R and D expenditure
		
			  £000 
		
		
			 2001–02 18,284 
			 2002–03 16,000 
			 2003–04 17,379

Pensioner Poverty

Annabelle Ewing: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what recent discussions he has had with the First Minister about pensioner poverty in Scotland.

Anne McGuire: My right hon. Friend discusses a wide range of issues with the First Minister. The hon. Lady will be aware that tackling pensioner poverty is one of the key policies of this Government.

Citizenship Syllabus

Ann Coffey: To ask the Leader of the House what representations he has made to the Secretary of State for Education and Skills on giving more emphasis to Parliament in the school citizenship syllabus.

Phil Woolas: My right hon. Friend the Leader of the House has drawn to the attention of the Secretary of State for Education and Skills the recommendation of the Modernisation Committee, in its report on "Connecting Parliament with the Public", that Ministers re-examine the balance of the citizenship curriculum to ensure that it provides young people with an understanding of Parliament and the political process.

Mental Capacity Bill

Ben Chapman: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Department for Constitutional Affairs what recent discussions he has held with the Archbishop of Cardiff regarding the Mental Capacity Bill.

David Lammy: My ministerial colleagues and I continue to discuss this important Bill with a very wide range of stakeholders, including the Catholic Church.
	On 25 January Clause 4 of the Bill was amended in the Other Place to fulfil the commitments that I made at report stage. The amendment to Clause 4 makes it explicit that a desire to bring about a person's death cannot affect the process of determining what is in his best interests.
	I am pleased that these amendments have been welcomed in the Other Place and by Archbishop Peter Smith.

House of Lords Reform

Andy Burnham: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Department for Constitutional Affairs if he will make a statement on further reform of the House of Lords and indirect elections to that House.

Michael Connarty: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Department for Constitutional Affairs when he plans to bring forward legislation to reform the composition of the House of Lords.

Christopher Leslie: There continue to be a wide range of views on the proper functions, powers and composition of the House of Lords. We have made it clear that we intend to return to the issue of House of Lords reform in the context of our Manifesto.

County Courts

Hugh Bayley: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Department for Constitutional Affairs what steps the Government are taking to enable court cases to be heard more quickly by county courts.

Christopher Leslie: The Government recognise the need to remove any unnecessary delays in the civil and family courts, especially in vulnerable cases involving child welfare issues. We are aiming to increase the proportion of cases completed in 40 weeks by 10 per cent. in the family proceedings courts over the current spending review period.

Departmental Spending

David Laws: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Department for Constitutional Affairs what his latest estimate is of unallocated departmental spending in (a) 2005–06, (b) 2006–07, and (c) 2007–08; and if he will make a statement.

David Lammy: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given by my right hon. Friend the Chief Secretary to the Treasury on 2 February 2005, Official Report, column 910W.

In-house Magazines

George Osborne: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Department for Constitutional Affairs how much has been spent on the production of in-house magazines in the Department and its predecessors in each year since 1997.

David Lammy: Costs incurred by my Department for producing in-house magazines are detailed in the following table.
	
		
			 £ 
			  DCA Court service Public guardianship office 
			  Hearsay 28,000X24 page, 4-colour Direct brief 12,000X8 page, 4-colour UA news (unified administration) 47,000X4 page, 2-colour Update 400X8 page, photocopy 
		
		
			 1997–98 Accounting system change — — — 
			 1998–99 (4)31,428.69 — — — 
			 1999–2000 67,098.72 — — — 
			 2000–01 101,279.19 — — — 
			 2001–02 108,315.12 — — — 
			 2002–03 130,747.80 (5)4,000 — 2,324 
			 2003–04 136,490.34 52,883 (5)19,972.24 (6)672 
			 2004–05 (7)109,680.04 (7)56,000 20,073.69 (7)560 
		
	
	(4) DCA HQ December to March only. Lord Chancellor's Department changed accounting systems in November 1998–99.
	(5) First edition.
	(6) Photocopying costs only, no editorial, design or print costs as this is produced entirely by the internal communications team
	(7) Yield to date

Staff Training

George Osborne: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Department for Constitutional Affairs what the costs of departmental (a) staff training days and (b) staff development days held away from the Department were in each year since 1997.

David Lammy: The costs of (a) staff training days and (b) staff development days held away from the Department in each year since 1997 are not separately identifiable within the Department's accounts without incurring disproportionate costs.
	The Department is committed to providing access to training for staff and developing them to their full potential.

Corruption

John Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what assessment she has made of the potential impact of reducing international trade barriers on reducing corruption in developing countries.

Douglas Alexander: None. However, a number of international organisations have examined the theoretical links between trade barriers and corruption, and a 1998 empirical study by the OECD Development Centre, entitled "Determinants of Customs Fraud and Corruption: Evidence from Two African Countries," concluded that
	"protectionist trade policies promote customs fraud by increasing the incentive for private citizens to engage in illegal behaviour and for government officials to abuse their office for personal, pecuniary gain."

Tackling Intruders

David Davis: To ask the Solicitor-General how many cases have been brought by the Crown Prosecution Service with regard to people tackling intruders in (a) residential properties and (b) retail properties in each year since 1990.

Harriet Harman: Prosecution statistics do not record whether a case involved a householder tackling an intruder. However, an informal survey of the 42 Crown Prosecution Service areas in December 2004 revealed that there were 11 cases prosecuted in the last 15 years. Of these, six concerned residential properties, two concerned commercial properties, two concerned allotment sheds and one concerned private fishing grounds.

Aircraft Charters

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how much money his Department has spent on chartering aircraft in each of the past five years.

Peter Hain: None

Publicity

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what the total expenditure by his Department on (a) advertising and (b) advertising and publicity was in (i) 1996–97, (ii) 1997–98 and (iii) 2003–04; and what the estimate of cost of each will be in (A) 2004–05, (B) 2005–06, (C) 2006–07 and (D) 2007–08.

Don Touhig: My Department has run no television, newspaper, radio advertising or any other kind of promotional campaign since its creation in July 1999. It has no agencies or departmental public bodies within its responsibilities. We are not responsible for campaigns that may be run by the National Assembly or other Government Departments in Wales. It is not estimated that this will change in the years referred to.

Armed Forces Strength

Nicholas Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the (a) established strength and (b) current trained strength is of officers in (i) the Royal Air Force, (ii) the Royal Navy and (iii) the Army.

Ivor Caplin: The Trained Officer Strengths and Requirements 1 as at 1 December 2004 were as follows:
	1 The full-time trained strength and the trained requirement both include trained UK regular forces, trained Gurkhas and full-time reserve service (FTRS) personnel. They do not include the Home.
	
		
			   Trained requirement Full-time trained strength 
		
		
			 All Services 30,900 30,700 
			 Naval Service(8) 7,000 6,860 
			 UK Regular Forces 7,000 6,670 
			 FTRS(9) 0 190 
			 Army 13830 14,030 
			 UK Regular Forces 13,720 13,610 
			 FTRS(9) 0 280 
			 Gurkhas 110 140 
			 Royal Air Force 10,080 9,810 
			 UK Regular Forces 9,940 9,620 
			 FTRS(9) 140 190 
		
	
	(8) Service battalions of the Royal Irish Regiment, mobilised reservists or Naval Activated Reservists. They also exclude 180 locally employed personnel, the Gibraltar Permanent Cadre (GPC) who are all male and all trained.
	(9) Naval Service comprises the Royal Navy and Royal Marines.
	Notes:
	1. FTRS strength figures include full commitment (FC), home commitment (HC) and limited commitment (LC) individuals. For the Army, FC and LC individuals serve against the requirement while HC individuals fill posts specifically for FTRS personnel. For the RAF, FC individuals serve against the requirement while HC and LC individuals fill posts specifically for FTRS personnel.
	2. All figures have been rounded to the nearest 10, due to the methods used totals may not equal the sum of the parts. Figures ending in five have been rounded to the nearest 20 to prevent systematic bias.

Defence Transport and Movements Agency

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many people currently work for the Defence Transport and Movements Agency; how many are employed in Scotland; what the personnel costs of the agency are; and what the figures were in 2003–04.

Adam Ingram: Staff figures for the Defence Transport and Movements Agency are displayed in the following table:
	
		Defence Transport and Movements Agency
		
			 As at 1 April: Civilian personnel Service personnel Total 
		
		
			 2003
			 Total 290 100 390 
			 Scotland — — — 
			 
			 2004
			 Total 320 90 410 
			 Scotland (10)20 — (10)20 
		
	
	(10) Personnel numbers for Scotland were supplied from locally held records by the DTMA.
	Notes:
	1. Personnel numbers other than those sourced from DTMA are published in UK Defence Statistics 2003 and 2004 at Table 2.6.
	2. Personnel figures are based on full-time equivalent numbers
	3. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10
	DTMA's personnel costs for the last two financial years can be found in the agency's latest Annual Reports and Accounts, which are laid in the Library of the House and can be found in the publications section of the Ministry of Defence's website at www.mod.uk.

Extended Schools Services

Karen Buck: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills 
	(1)  what support her Department plans to offer schools serving disadvantaged communities to develop extended schools services;
	(2)  what will constitute the core service offer of an extended (a) primary and (b) secondary school;
	(3)  what (a) financial and (b) logistical support her Department plans to give to local authorities to work with (i) schools, (ii) local child care providers and (iii) other local partners in delivering the extended schools programme;
	(4)  what measures her Department is taking to ensure that extended schools services are staffed by well-qualified, well-remunerated and well-motivated professionals;
	(5)  if she will commission research into interventions offered for children through school-age child care and extended schools services, including their impact on (a) educational attainment, (b) cognitive, (c) social, emotional and (d) behavioural development and family and community well-being;
	(6)  what funding for (a) capital and (b) revenue has been allocated as part of the Government's 10-Year Strategy for Childcare for delivering the extended schools programme in (i) primary and (ii) secondary schools;
	(7)  what funding has been allocated as part of the Government's 10-Year Childcare Strategy for ensuring the sustainability of extended schools services in (a) primary and (b) secondary schools.

Margaret Hodge: Government are committed to the development of extended schools to provide a range of enrichment activities and to support the Childcare Strategy. The Department for Education and Skills' "Five Year Strategy for Children and Learners" sets out the Government's expectation for all primary and secondary schools to offer a core set of extended services over time. The core offer for primary schools encompasses a wide range of study support and enrichment activities, parenting support, including family learning and swift referral to a wider range of specialised support services for pupils. Some schools will work with children's centres and other providers to make provision available for younger children. The Government's 10-Year Childcare Strategy sets out the expectation that by 2010 all parents with children aged 5–11 will be offered the guarantee of affordable school based child care between the hours of 8 am to 6 pm, all year round. By 2008, half of all parents of primary aged children will be able to access the child care offer. Provision could be available in a local school, in a neighbouring school or on a different site, provided by the school or in partnership with voluntary and private sector providers, including local child minders.
	The core offer for secondary schools includes study support and enrichment activities, widespread community use of school's facilities, family learning activities, swift and easy referral from every school to a wider range of specialised support services for pupils and a child care guarantee, or 'youth offer' available between 8 am and 6 pm on weekdays. By 2008, at least a third of all secondary schools sites will be open year round and beyond the school day offering a range of interesting activities for young people. All schools will be doing so by 2010. Provision could be available in a local school, in a neighbouring school or on a different site, provided by the school or in partnership with voluntary and private sector providers, including local child minders. We will also be testing out demand for a formal child care guarantee that is 8 am to 6 pm particularly for children aged 11–12.
	Schools will need to adopt new and innovative approaches to recruiting and deploying staff to ensure there is a staffing structure appropriate to the extended services they wish to deliver. Schools should look at the expertise both within the school and locally to determine who can best deliver each aspect of extended services. This will include working effectively with other services and with the voluntary, private and community sectors. In some cases school staff, such as support staff and teaching assistants, will already have the relevant skills and experience and may want to help deliver some of the services such as child care.
	The Government will be producing a strategy for the children's workforce shortly, following up the vision in "Every Child Matters: Change for Children". This will include national and local action to ensure we can attract and retain the right people at all levels in this workforce, including those in extended schools. It will include simpler and more rewarding career pathways, alongside better workforce planning locally and more focused use of investment that is already being made to improve the knowledge and qualifications of people in different roles. We will also promote greater focus on good leadership, management and supervision. Remuneration levels will remain, for most of these workers, a matter between them and their employer.
	The Department have already committed around £50 million over the period 2003–04 to 2004–05 for the development of extended schools, with the money targeting areas serving disadvantaged communities. Just under £44 million of that £50 million was paid via the Standards Fund (including £2.8 million made available by the Neighbourhood Renewal Unit and £1.8 million from the Home Office) and £6.8 million was paid through the Sure Start General Grant. In addition to this £14 million from the Young People's Fund element of the Big Lottery Fund has been made available to 78 local authorities over three years from 2004–05 to support the development of extended schools across their areas. In the financial year 2005–06 my Department will make available just over £107 million to support the development of extended services in both primary and secondary schools in all local authorities. In later years we will provide further sums including funding to support the development of school based child care. An announcement will be made in due course.
	Funding to support the delivery of extended services, including the school age child care offer can be used flexibly by local authorities for both capital and revenue purposes to help overcome barriers that they may face in developing extended services. This can include minor capital works such as refurbishment of reception or play areas, and revenue funding, for example, to support a senior management post that might work across a cluster of schools to develop extended services. The funding is aimed at kick- starting the delivery of extended services but over time, these services should become self—sustaining within existing funding strands or through charging. Schools can charge for some services such as community use of the schools premises and child care. In the case of school based child care, parents, who are eligible, can claim part of the cost through the child care element of the working tax credit. Some services such as study support and other curriculum-related enrichment services will be developed by schools making best use of their existing baselines. Other services such as health and social care should be supported by budgets that support those services.
	My Department is supporting local authorities to work with schools, local child care providers and local partners in delivering the extended schools programme in logistical ways too. In 2002, the DfES published extended schools guidance that provides information and advice on a range of legal, financial and practical issues. The Extended Schools Prospectus, trailed in the Prime Minister's speech to the Daycare Trust on 11 November, will set out the vision for extended schools to schools, local authorities and stakeholders in health, social care and the private and voluntary sectors. It will include a core document that will be supported by a number of on-line know how leaflets that draw on the practical experience of schools already delivering services. These will include case studies, 'how to' advice, 'hints and tips' as well as emerging evidence of the impact on child outcomes. The prospectus and know how pack will be made available on the web, so that new issues can be addressed as they emerge. The prospectus will be launched shortly. The website www.teachernet.gov.uk/extendedschools also features a number of case study examples of schools delivering extended services that schools and other interested parties might use to draw upon key lessons. The DfES has also appointed ContinYou to run The Extended Schools Support Service (TESSS) to support and advise schools and LEAs developing an extended schools approach, and which includes advice on developing links with the community.
	My Department is very committed to research on extended services and child care in schools. We have in progress an evaluation looking at the impacts of full service extended schools on children, their families and communities; a nationally representative survey of schools to measure the prevalence and characteristics of extended services and child care; and an evaluation of an Extended Schools Childcare pilot. Initial findings from these projects will be published by the Department in summer 2005, autumn 2005 and spring 2006 respectively.

Further Education

Sarah Teather: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what the staying-on rate at 16 years was for Greater London, broken down by local education authority, in each year since 1997.

Ivan Lewis: The latest published local participation estimates for 16-year-olds in education and training in England are for end 2001 (2001/02 academic year). A consistent historical time series is currently unavailable due to issues with post-Census local population estimates for individual ages for earlier years. Local participation estimates for end 2002 and end 2003 (provisional) are due to be published in March 2005 together with a consistent historic participation time series.
	Participation estimates of education and LSC funded work based learning (WBL) by 16-year-olds in Greater London, broken down by local education authority (LEA), for end 2001 are given in Table 1.
	For Inner London, participation in education and training is only shown as a total because participation estimates for individual Inner London LEAs cannot be estimated reliably. This is due to the considerable numbers of pupils who attend independent schools in an LEA other than the one in which they reside (residence information for independent school pupils is not collated centrally).
	
		Table 1: Participation in education and training of 16-year-olds for Greater London, broken down by LEA, for end 2001 -- Percentage of age group
		
			   Full-time education Education and LSC funded work based learning (WBL) 
		
		
			 Greater London 74 82 
			 Inner London 73 81 
			 Outer London 75 82 
			 Barking and Dagenham 56 63 
			 Barnet 76 82 
			 Bexley 68 78 
			 Brent 77 82 
			 Bromley 77 82 
			 Croydon 77 83 
			 Baling 76 81 
			 Enfield 75 83 
			 Greenwich 68 79 
			 Harrow 85 90 
			 Havering 71 80 
			 Hillingdon 75 84 
			 Hounslow 70 78 
			 Kingston-upon-Thames 80 85 
			 Merton 70 77 
			 Redbridge 81 86 
			 Richmond-upon-Thames 92 97 
			 Button 76 84 
			 Waltham Forest 78 87 
			 England 71 82 
		
	
	Source:
	Statistical Bulletin, 'Participation in education and training by 16 and 17 year-olds in each local area in England, end 2001', http://www.dfes.gov.uk/rsgateway/DB/SBU/b000450/index.shtml

Nuclear Energy Degrees

Bill Tynan: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many undergraduate degree courses involving training in atomic energy related skills are available in England.

Kim Howells: holding answer 4 February 2005
	The latest course listing on the Universities and Colleges Admissions Service (UCAS) website, which covers undergraduate courses only, shows that no universities currently offer undergraduate courses specifically in atomic energy. However, the report commissioned by the Nuclear Safety Directorate in autumn 2001 and the Update On Nuclear Education in British Universities December 2003, identified the following universities which ran postgraduate or undergraduate courses which contained some nuclear content:
	Postgraduate Courses
	University of Bath
	University of Birmingham
	City University 1
	University of Cambridge 1
	UHI Millennium Institute 1
	University of Hull
	Imperial College of Science, Technology and Medicine 1
	Lancaster University
	University of Liverpool 1
	Loughborough University
	University of Manchester Victoria 1
	Middlesex University 1
	University of Plymouth
	University of Salford
	University of Sheffield
	University of Southampton
	Strathclyde University
	University of Surrey 1
	University of Wales, Swansea
	University College London
	Royal Navy School of Marine and Air Engineering, HMS Sultan (Department of Nuclear Science and Technology) 1,2
	Undergraduate Courses
	University of Bath
	University of Birmingham
	University of Cambridge
	City University
	De Montfort University
	The University of Hull
	Imperial College of Science, Technology and Medicine
	Lancaster University
	University of Leeds
	University of Liverpool
	Loughborough University
	University of Manchester Victoria
	Middlesex University
	University of Plymouth
	University of Salford
	University of Sheffield
	Sheffield Hallam University
	University of Southampton
	University of Strathclyde
	University of Surrey
	University College London
	Royal Navy School of Marine and Air Engineering, HMS Sultan (Department of Nuclear Science and Technology) 1
	1 Identifies Institutions from 2003 update where initiatives have been set up.
	2 The report also included HMS Sultan, which is a Ministry of Defence establishment.
	According to the 2001 report, the number of students on courses containing any nuclear content is around 320 students per year on postgraduate courses and around 1,460 per year on undergraduate courses.
	The 2003 update suggests there has been encouraging signs of expansion in this field.

Stockton, South

Dari Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how the amount of funding per pupil in (a) primary and (b) secondary education has changed in the constituency of Stockton South since 1997.

Stephen Twigg: The information requested is produced according to local education authority areas rather than districts within an area. Stockton South is a constituency in Stockton-on-Tees. The following table therefore shows the per pupil figures in real terms for Stockton-on-Tees.
	
		Average funding per pupil, Stockton-on-Tees
		
			  Figures in real terms-1997–98 to 2004–05 
			  Primary (3–10 year-olds) (£) Year-on-year percentage change Secondary (11–15 year-olds) (£) Year-on-year percentage change 
		
		
			 1997–98 2,200  3,170  
			 1998–99 2,290 4 3,220 2 
			 1999–2000 2,450 7 3,390 5 
			 2000–01 2,720 11 3,740 10 
			 2001–02 2,930 8 4,000 7 
			 2002–03 3,060 4 4,030 1 
			 2003–04 3,290 8 4,210 4 
			 2004–05 3,380 3 4,320 3 
		
	
	Notes:
	1. Price Base: Real terms at 2003–04 prices, based on GDP deflators as at 30 September 2004.
	2. Figures reflect relevant sub-blocks of education SSA/EFS settlements and exclude the pensions transfer to EPS and LSC.
	3. Total funding also includes all revenue grants in DfES Departmental Expenditure Limits relevant to pupils aged 3–10 and 11–15 and exclude EM As and grants not allocated at LEA level.
	4. The pupil numbers used to convert £ million figures to per pupil are those underlying the SSA/EFS settlement calculations plus PLASC 3-year-old maintained pupils and estimated 3–4 year-olds funded through state support in maintained and other educational institutions where these are not included in the SSA pupil numbers.
	5. Rounding: Figures are rounded to the nearest 10.
	6. Status: 2004–05 figures are provisional as some grants have not yet been finalised/audited.

Teachers

Claire Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what measures her Department has introduced to increase the efficiency of the system for dealing with allegations of abuse against teachers.

Stephen Twigg: In 2001, following concerns about the length of time taken to deal with allegations, my Department established a network of 25 co-ordinators, each responsible for a cluster of LEAs, located within existing police force boundaries. The co-ordinators' priority is to negotiate and agree arrangements to speed up the handling of allegations of abuse against teachers and other school-based staff, but they also have a strategic role in this area and in relation to child protection procedures generally.
	In addition my officials have worked closely with the National Employers Organisation for School Teachers (NEOST) and the teacher unions to revise and update the "Joint NEOST/Teacher Union Guidance on Education Staff and Child Protection: Staff Facing an Allegation of Abuse" and that updated guidance was published and distributed by NEOST and the teacher organisations in September 2002.

Teachers

Sarah Teather: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many (a) teachers and (b) teaching assistants there were in each local education authority in Greater London in each of the last seven years.

Stephen Twigg: The information requested has been published in the Statistics of Education School Workforce in England Volume, 2004 edition published on 27 January 2005, a copy of which will be placed in the House of Commons Library. Annex table A2 gives the number of teachers in service in each local education authority and table A9 the number of teaching assistants. The publication is also available at the following URL: www.dfes.gov.uk/rsgatewav/DBA/OL/v000554/index.shtml

University Funding

Jim Cousins: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what funding her Department has provided for (a) teaching, (b) research and (c) staff development since 1996–97 for (i) Newcastle and (ii) Northumbria universities.

Kim Howells: The latest information is given in the tables.
	
		Recurrent funding for university of Newcastle-upon-Tyne(14) £000
		
			  Recurrent funds for teaching and research Of which:  TeachingResearch Funds for rewarding and developing staff 2 
		
		
			 1997–98 52,331 34,009 18,322 — 
			 1998–99 57,641 36,710 20,930 — 
			 1999–2000 59,033 38,226 20,807 — 
			 2000–01 61,205 40,334 20,871 — 
			 2001–02 65,404 42,672 21,503 1,229 
			 2002–03 69,945 45,177 22,885 1,884 
			 2003–04 75,475 46,718 25,948 2,809 
			 2004–05 81,276 53,752 27,524 — 
		
	
	
		Recurrent funding for university of Northumbria(14) £000
		
			  Recurrent funds for teaching and research Of which:  TeachingResearch Funds for rewarding and developing staff 2 
		
		
			 1997–98 33,517 32,380 1,137 — 
			 1998–99 37,942 36,577 1,365 — 
			 1999–2000 38,995 37,510 1,485 — 
			 2000–01 39,498 37,982 1,515 — 
			 2001–02 41,756 39,294 1,553 909 
			 2002–03 43,689 41,083 1,266 1,339 
			 2003–04 46,839 43,930 895 2,015 
			 2004–05 51,206 50,257 949 — 
		
	
	(14) Funding figures show HEFCE recurrent grant for teaching and research only. They exclude other HEFCE grants such as for capital and other special initiatives. They also exclude funding from other public sources, such as the SLC, NHS, TTA, LSC, research councils etc.
	(15) Funding for rewarding and developing staff was first allocated for 2001–02 and transferred into teaching grant in 2004–05.
	Source:
	HEFCE

Brazil

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how much (a) financial assistance, (b) logistical assistance and (c) assistance in kind has been provided to Engineers Without Borders UK by his Department for the programme in the state of Minas Gerais, Brazil with the Iracambi Atlantic Rainforest Research Center since its inception; and if he will make a statement.

Mr. Gareth Thomas: DFID has not provided direct funding for the work of Engineers Without Borders with the Iracambi Atlantic Rainforest Research Center (ARRC) in Brazil Minas Gerais. However, DFID has co-financed the Rain Forest Trust Fund (RFT Fund) which has supported civil society organisations in the Atlantic Rain Forest. DFID provided £1.5 million to the RFT in the early 1990s as part of the $58 million support by G7 donors. The RFTs support for civil society networks included $800,000 to Rede Mata Atlântica (RMA), a non-governmental network seeking to conserve the Atlantic Rain Forest. The Society of Friends of Iracambi, who are responsible for maintaining the Iracambi ARRC, are a member of the RMA.

HIV/AIDS (Children)

Sally Keeble: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development 
	(1)  whether his Department's field offices covering countries with large numbers of orphans and children made vulnerable by HIV and AIDS will be producing (a) detailed action plans and (b) revised country assistance plans setting out how they will be spending the £123 million committed for services to this group;
	(2)  how the £123 million committed by the UK Government for responding to the needs of orphans and children made vulnerable by HIV and AIDS in Africa will be allocated between his Department's field offices in different countries.

Mr. Gareth Thomas: It is important that countries have detailed action plans to address AIDS. DFID country offices make bilateral spending decisions based on countries' articulated priorities as identified through national strategies and detailed action plans which include support to orphans and vulnerable children. These plans are being developed at national level (often with UNICEF support), to create a supportive environment for children's access to health and education, community services and basic needs.
	In responding to these action plans, DFID strongly supports the "Three Ones" approach: one strategic framework, one AIDS authority and one monitoring system. Thus DFID's own country assistance plans (CAPS) are designed to support the implementation of the "Three Ones". All CAPS will reflect and report AIDS initiatives, indicating where more needs to be done. DFID will monitor all CAPS with reports going to the Management Board.

Nigeria

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how much (a) financial assistance, (b) logistical assistance and (c) assistance in kind has been provided to Engineers Without Borders UK by his Department for the programme in the Dadiya region of Nigeria with Savanna Conservation Nigeria and Nakruda since its inception; what assessment his Department has undertaken of the (i) economic, (ii) social and (iii) humanitarian impact of the programme; what assessment his Department has made of the long-term viability of the programme; and if he will make a statement.

Mr. Gareth Thomas: DFID is aware of the good work undertaken by Engineers without Borders (EWB) UK. Initiatives such as placements to expose engineering students to work in developing countries while making a positive impact on peoples' lives, and the undertaking of small-scale research projects are welcomed. However, DFID has not provided funding for EWB centrally or for its work with the Savanna Conservation Nigeria and Nakruda programme in Nigeria and so has not undertaken any assessments of its activities or long term viability.

Queen's Flight

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development 
	(1)  on how many occasions departmental Ministers have used the Queen's Flight in each of the past five years;
	(2)  how much money his Department has spent on chartering aircraft in each of the past five years.

Mr. Gareth Thomas: Travel by Ministers makes clear that special flights may be authorised when a scheduled service is not available, or when it is essential to travel by air, but the requirements of official or parliamentary business or security considerations or urgency preclude the journey being made by a scheduled service. In respect of overseas travel by Ministers, since 1999 the Government have published an annual list of all visits overseas undertaken by Cabinet Ministers costing £500 or more during each financial year. The list published in 1999 covers the period 2 May 1997 to 31 March 1999. Where RAF/Private Charter aircraft are used this is shown in the list. The Government has also published on an annual basis the cost of all Ministers' visits overseas. Copies of the lists are available in the Libraries of the House. Information for 2004–05 will be published in due course.
	All Ministerial travel is undertaken in accordance with the "Ministerial Code" and "Travel by Ministers".

Water Shortage

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what assessment his Department has made of its progress in combating the world's impending water shortage, with specific regard to the United Nation's 2003 prediction that by 2050, seven billion people in 60 countries will be without sufficient water; and if he will make a statement.

Mr. Gareth Thomas: The sustainable and integrated management of land and water resources is critical to combating increasing water shortages. The UK agreed at the World Summit on Sustainable Development (WSSD) in Johannesburg the target for all countries to develop Integrated Water Resources Management and Water Efficiency plans by 2005, with support to be provided for developing countries. DFID's approach to implementing this target is set out in the Water Action Plan (March 2004), which will be reviewed regularly.
	DFID provides significant support to the Global Water Partnership (GWP), which is an umbrella organisation that supports development of national water resource management plans in key partner countries. GWP is also the key organisation coordinating policy and monitoring progress at the international level. A recent survey carried out by GWP has suggested that around 40 per cent. of countries have yet to make progress on developing Integrated Water Resources Management plans and only 20 per cent. of countries are likely to meet the 2005 target.
	DFID also support the "Global Water Supply and Sanitation Assessment" reports of the UNICEF/WHO Joint Monitoring Programme which include water availability data, and the EU Water Initiative which includes a water resource management component. DFID has supported the UNESCO led World Water Assessment Programme from its outset in mid-2000. This is an effective long-term programme providing assessment, monitoring and reporting of the status of the world's water. These reviews assist in developing frameworks for better assessment, allocation and monitoring of water use, particularly in the water scarce areas.

Alcohol-related Deaths

Simon Hughes: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer in respect of how many deaths in (a) Greater London and (b) North Southwark and Bermondsey alcohol was the primary cause in each of the last five years.

Stephen Timms: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician, who has been asked to reply.
	Letter from Len Cook to Mr. Simon Hughes, dated 8 February 2005
	As National Statistician, I have been asked to reply to your recent question asking in respect of how many deaths in (a) Greater London and (b) North Southwark and Bermondsey alcohol was the primary cause in each of the last five years. (214332)
	The latest year for which figures are available is 2003. The table below shows the numbers of deaths among residents of Greater London and North Southwark and Bermondsey parliamentary constituency where the underlying cause of death indicated a condition directly related to alcohol use in the years 1999 to 2003.
	
		Alcohol-related deaths(16) for Greater London and North Southwark and Bermondsey parliamentary constituency(17) 1999 to 2003 3 Number of deaths
		
			   Greater London North Southwark and Bermondsey 
		
		
			 1999 844 11 
			 2000 827 18 
			 2001 788 15 
			 2002 817 13 
			 2003 847 16 
		
	
	(16) For the years 1999–2000 the cause of death was defined using the International Classification of Diseases, Ninth Revision (ICD-9). The codes used by ONS to define alcohol-related deaths are listed as follows:
	291—Alcohol psychoses
	303—Alcohol dependence syndrome
	305.0—Non-dependent abuse of alcohol
	425.5—Alcoholic cardiomyopathy
	571—Chronic liver disease and cirrhosis
	E860—Accidental poisoning by alcohol
	For the years 2001–03 the International Classification of Diseases, Tenth Revision (ICD-10) was used. To maintain comparability with earlier years the following codes were used:
	F10—Mental and behavioural disorders due to use of alcohol
	I42.6—Alcoholic cardiomyopathy
	K70—Alcoholic liver disease
	K73—Chronic hepatitis, not elsewhere classified
	K74—Fibrosis and cirrhosis of liver
	X45—Accidental poisoning by and exposure to alcohol
	The selection of codes to define alcohol-related deaths is described in:
	Baker A and Rooney C (2003). Recent trends in alcohol-related mortality, and the impact of ICD-10 on the monitoring of these deaths in England and Wales. "Health Statistics Quarterly" 17, pp 5–14.
	(17) Usual residents of these areas.
	(18) Deaths occurring in each calendar year.

Child Deaths

Hugh Robertson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many children have died by drowning in each of the past five years.

Stephen Timms: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician. I have asked him to reply.
	Letter from Colin Mowl to Mr. Hugh Robertson, dated 8 February 2005
	The National Statistician has been asked to reply to your recent Parliamentary Question concerning how many children have died by drowning in each of the past five years. I am replying in his absence. (215278)
	The most recently available information is for deaths in 2003. Figures for deaths due to drowning among children aged 0 to 15 are shown in the table below for each year from 1999 to 2003.
	
		Number of deaths from drowning(19) among children aged under 16, England and Wales, 1999 to 2003 2
		
			  Number of deaths 
		
		
			 1999 49 
			 2000 35 
			 2001 30 
			 2002 31 
			 2003 33 
		
	
	(19) Cause of death was defined using the International Classification of Diseases, Ninth Revision (ICD-9) code 994.1 for the years 1999 and 2000, and Tenth Revision (ICD-10) code T75.1 from 2001 onwards.
	(20) Figures are for deaths occurring in each calendar year.

Child Tax Credit

Chris Ruane: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer 
	(1)  how many child tax credit appeal cases have been received in each month since the inception of tax credits;
	(2)  how many people in each region have appealed against a decision on a child tax credit application since introduction of the credit.

Dawn Primarolo: The information requested is not available.

Departmental Policies

Dari Taylor: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many people in each ward of Stockton, South claim (a) pension credit and (b) working tax credit.

Dawn Primarolo: Data from the Department for Work and Pensions shows that the number of households in receipt of pension credit in each ward of Stockton, South at 31 December 2004 were as follows:
	
		
			 Ward (Stockton, South) Households in receipt of pension credit 
		
		
			 Bishopsgarth 310 
			 Egglescliffe 220 
			 Elm Tree 250 
			 Fairfield 195 
			 Grangefield 220 
			 Hartburn 165 
			 Ingleby Barwick 145 
			 Mandale 410 
			 Parkfield 420 
			 Preston 110 
			 Stainsby 360 
			 Victoria 440 
			 Village 385 
			 Yarm 285 
		
	
	Notes:
	1. Source: IAD Information Centre, Department for Work and Pensions.
	2. All wards based on Census Wards current at April 2003.
	3. Benefit counts at ward level are rounded to a multiple of five to protect the confidentiality of individual claimants.
	Estimates of the number of in-work families in each constituency receiving tax credits are published in "Child and Working Tax Credit Statistics. Geographical analyses. December 2004". This can be found on the Inland Revenue website, at: www.inlandrevenue.gov.uk/stats/personal-tax-credits/menu.htm.
	Estimates for April 2005 will be published in April or May 2005.
	Estimates for smaller areas are not currently available.

Euro

Graham Brady: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many officials have worked on the changeover plan for British euro membership since 9 June 2003; how many officials' man-hours were spent on the plan; what cost has been incurred; and if he will make a statement.

Stephen Timms: As part of the policy of "prepare and decide", the Government are committed to ensuring that the UK retains a genuine option to join the single currency if that is what the Government, Parliament and the people in a referendum decide. The Euro Preparations Unit in the Treasury works with stakeholders from across the economy to ensure that euro preparations are at an appropriate level. Information on the number of officials and working hours spent on the "third Outline National Changeover Plan" published in June 2003 cannot be separately identified. The costs are met from within the Treasury's three-year departmental expenditure limits.

Further Education

Cheryl Gillan: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will reduce the level at which further education colleges pay VAT to the level applied to the school sector.

Dawn Primarolo: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 1 February 2005, Official Report, column 762W, to the hon. Member for Aylesbury (Mr. Lidington).

Greater London Jobs

Tom Cox: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate he has made of the number of jobs created in the Greater London area as a result of public investment in each of the last five years.

Stephen Timms: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician, who has been asked to reply.
	Letter from Len Cook to Mr. Tom Cox, dated 8 February 2005
	As National Statistician, I have been asked to reply to your recent Parliamentary Question about jobs created in the Greater London area resulting from public investment. (214372)
	While statistics of jobs created as a result of public investment are not available, ONS's published workforce jobs statistics enable comparisons to be made of net changes, from year to year, in the total number of jobs.
	The attached table shows the numbers of jobs and changes in jobs for the Greater London area, from September 1999 to September 2004, the latest period available.
	No information is available about the extent to which the changes in jobs in Greater London result from public investment.
	
		Number of civilian work force jobs and change in numbers of jobs in the Greater London area: 1999 to 2004 Thousand
		
			  Civilian work force jobs1, 2 
		
		
			 Number of jobs  
			 1999 4,349 
			 2000 4,539 
			 2001 4,555 
			 2002 4,435 
			 2003 4,497 
			 2004 4,485 
			 Change(23) in number of jobs  
			 2000 191 
			 2001 15 
			 2002 -120 
			 2003 62 
			 2004 -12 
		
	
	(21) Estimates are not seasonally adjusted.
	(22) Estimates of civilian work force jobs include self-employed jobs and Government supported trainees. Estimates exclude jobs in the armed forces.
	(23) The 2000 to 2004 change has been rounded to the nearest thousand separately from rounded levels for 1999 and 2004.
	Source:
	ONS Work force jobs series

Income Tax

Elfyn Llwyd: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the estimated loss of revenue would be if the 10 per cent. band of income tax were to be increased by (a) £1,000, (b) £2,000 and (c) £3,000.

Dawn Primarolo: I refer the hon. Member to table 1.6 "Direct effects of illustrative tax changes" on the Inland Revenue website www.ir.gov.uk/stats/tax expenditures/table1–6.xls
	The figures exclude any estimate of behavioural response to the tax change.

North Durham

Kevan Jones: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many people have benefited from the minimum wage in North Durham since its inception.

Stephen Timms: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician. I have asked him to reply.
	Letter from Colin Mowl to Mr. Kevan Jones, dated 8 February 2005
	The National Statistician has been asked to reply to your recent Parliamentary Question asking how many people have benefited from the minimum wage in North Durham since its inception. I am replying on his behalf. (214678)
	Estimates for the number of jobs paid below the minimum wage for Parliamentary Constituencies are not available. However, the Office for National Statistics (ONS) calculates estimates of the number of jobs paid less than national minimum wage rates for the United Kingdom and Government Office Regions. A guide to measuring low pay and associated articles and data can be found on the National Statistics website at: http://www.statistics.gov.uk/StatBase/Product.asp?vlnk=5837&Pos=1&ColRank= 1&Rank=272

Tax Credits

Mr. Chapman: To ask the Chancellor of what proportion of those in receipt of tax credits in (a) Wirral South and (b) the UK have been subject to overpayment demands.

Dawn Primarolo: Details of how overpayments are recovered are provided in the Inland Revenue's Code of Practice 26 "What happens if we have paid you too much tax credit." Wherever practical overpayments are recovered out of future tax credit payments. Where an award of tax credits has ceased and there remains an overpayment to be recovered, the Inland Revenue issues claimants with a 'Notice to Pay'. The claimant has the option to choose to pay back an overpayment over 12 months.
	Information on the number of households in Wirral South sent notices to pay is not available.

Tax Credits

David Laws: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what his estimate is of the cost of managing and paying all tax credits in (a) 2001–02, (b) 2002–03, (c) 2003–04 and (d) 2004–05; and if he will make a statement.

Dawn Primarolo: For the cost of managing and paying working families' and disabled person's tax credits in (a) 2001–02 and (b) 2002–03 I refer the hon. Member to page 101 of the Inland Revenue Annual Report for the year ending 31 March 2003. This can be found on the Inland Revenue web site, at www.ir.gov.uk/pdfs/report2003.pdf.
	For the cost of managing and paying working and child tax credits in (c) 2003–04 I refer the hon. Member to page 104 of the Inland Revenue Annual Report and Accounts for that year. This can be found on the Inland Revenue web site, at www.inlandrevenue.gov.uk/pdfs/report2004.pdf.
	The actual cost for (d) 2004–05 will appear in the Annual Report for that year.

Tax Credits

John Cummings: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many people received (a) working family tax credits and (b) child tax credits in Easington constituency; and if he will make a statement.

Dawn Primarolo: Estimates of the number of in-work families receiving tax credits (broken down by families with and without children) in each constituency appear in "Child and Working Tax Credit Statistics. Geographical analyses, December 2004." This can be found on the Inland Revenue website at www. inlandrevenue.gov.uk/stats/personal-tax-credits/menu. htm. The estimates are based on a sample of cases, and are subject to sampling uncertainty.

Tax Credits

Helen Jones: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many people in Warrington, North are claiming tax credits; and what the average award for each credit is.

Dawn Primarolo: Estimates of the number of in-work families receiving tax credits (broken down by families with and without children) in each constituency appear in "Child and Working Tax Credit Statistics. Geographical analyses." This can be found on the Inland Revenue website at www.inlandrevenue.gov.uk/ stats/personal-tax-credits/menu.htm. The estimates are based on a sample of cases, and are subject to sampling uncertainty.
	Information on the average value of awards is not available.

Taxable Incomes

Elfyn Llwyd: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many taxpayers received taxable incomes in excess of £50,000 in the last year for which figures are available.

Dawn Primarolo: I refer the hon. Member to table 3.3 'Distribution of total income before and after tax, 1998–99 to 2004–05' on the Inland Revenue website www.inlandrevenue.gov.uk/stats/income distribution/table3 3 december04.xls
	The table shows the number of income taxpayers with total income of £50,000 or more.

Working Tax Credit

Theresa May: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the distribution of eligible child care costs is, in £20 bands, among in-work families benefiting from the child care element of the working tax credit who (a) have a child aged under five years, (b) do not have a child aged under five years but have a child aged under 10 years and (c) do not have a child aged under 10 years.

Dawn Primarolo: holding answer 7 February 2005
	The distribution for families benefiting at 3 December 2004 is shown in the following table.
	The figures are estimates and therefore subject to sampling uncertainty.
	
		Families benefiting from the child care element at 3 December 2004 1 Thousand
		
			 Eligible weekly child care costs allowed 2 At least one child under 5 3 No child under 5 but at least one child under 10 3 Only children aged 10 and over(26) All 
		
		
			 Under £20 11.7 21.8 7.6 41.1 
			 £20-£39.99 24.5 29.1 7.4 61.0 
			 £40-£59.99 33.7 19.3 3.7 56.7 
			 £60-£79.99 31.3 10.8 *1.6 43.7 
			 £80-£99.99 30.2 7.0 *1.0 38.2 
			 £100-£119.99 26.3 4.2 *0.4 30.9 
			 £120-£139.99(25) 31.0 3.5 *0.6 35.1 
			 £140 and over(25) 20.8 3.4 *0.4 24.6 
			 Total 209.5 99.0 22.8 331.3 
		
	
	(24) Based on a 20 per cent. sample of couples and a 10 per cent. sample of single adults receiving tax credits. Subject to sampling uncertainty—see 'Child and Working Tax Credits Statistics. December 2004'. Figures marked * are subject to particularly high relative uncertainty.
	(25) Taking account of the maximum costs allowable for a family with one child for whom eligible costs are incurred.
	(26) Ages of all children in the family, not just those for whom childcare costs are incurred.

Departmental Mobile Phones

Peter Atkinson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many departmental mobile telephones were used by (a) Ministers, (b) special advisers and (c) officials in his Department in each year since 1997, and at what cost; how many such telephones were lost or stolen in each year since 1997; and what the replacement costs were in each case.

Fiona Mactaggart: holding answer 6 December 2005
	Detailed records on mobile telephony are not held centrally and in order to obtain the information required would incur disproportionate costs.
	I can however provide information on mobile phones, associated equipment and call and access charges associated with mobile telephony procurement made by the Commercial Directorate (previously CAPU) since 1997 which is as follows.
	
		
			 Time period/ financial year  Comment  Cost (£) 
		
		
			 1997–98 Central spend on equipment and tariffs only. 283.39 
			 1998–99 Central spend on equipment and tariffs only. 17,120.77 
			 1999–2000 Central spend on equipment and tariffs only. 83,051.59 
			 2000–01 Central spend on equipment and tariffs. Includes IND equipment and tariff costs for mobile telephony relating to the Automated Fingerprint Identification System project procured centrally by CARD. 394,063.11 
			 2001–02 Central spend on equipment and tariffs only. 51,738.03 
			 2002–03 Total cost comprises total equipment, tariff and call charges from Vodafone including IND. 1,131,775.30 
			 2003–04 Total cost comprises [a] total mobile charges from Vodafone including IND and [b] Orange equipment and tariff costs only (Non-IND). 1,489,460.40 
			 2004–05 Total cost comprises [a] total mobile charges from Vodafone including IND and [b] Orange equipment and tariff costs only (Non-IND). 1,372,788.30 
		
	
	Notes:
	On figures provided:
	1. The figures represent expenditure incurred on behalf of the Home Department including IND (where available) by Commercial Directorate (previously CAPU) excluding Executive Agencies and NDPBs.
	2. The figures supersede those provided in response to previous Parliamentary Questions regarding mobile telephony. The figures previously did not include call charging and access detail and were taken from a manual record system held by Commercial Directorate and not the central purchasing database.

Fear of Crime

Claire Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment he has made of links between media publications and fear of crime.

Hazel Blears: The 2002–03 British Crime Survey showed a relationship between newspaper readership and worry about types of crime. For example, reading tabloid newspapers regularly was a significant predictive factor of having a high level of worry about violent crime.
	Work continues in the Home Office Research, Development and Statistics Directorate to investigate the correlation between media reporting and fear of crime data within the British Crime Survey.
	In addition, Crime and Disorder Reduction Partnerships are encouraged to engage with their local media to promote balanced reporting of stories affecting local communities.

Human Trafficking

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what procedure is followed on the discovery of victims of human trafficking; and if he will make a statement.

Des Browne: The United Kingdom Immigration Service has clearly defined practices for the identification and handling of victims of trafficking in human beings. Guidance on the procedure to be followed by immigration officers states that
	"It is important that immigration officers, who may be the first contact point for victims (especially child victims claiming asylum), provide full details on the victim along with any relevant intelligence information to Social Services Departments and to the police so that the victims can receive adequate protection".
	A specialist pan-London Immigration Service unit leads on operations concerning the vice trade and works closely with the Metropolitan Police Service Central Clubs and Vice Unit, where officers are also experienced in working with victims. Smaller units with immigration officers who also receive training in the identification of victims of trafficking have also been established.
	Where individuals are arrested during the course of police or immigration operations, they are generally taken to a police station to be interviewed. The initial interview seeks to establish the individual's status and circumstances. During any initial police interview officers will seek to establish whether there may be other victims in need of protection.
	Where a victim of trafficking is eligible for support through the POPPY Scheme, a referral is made and Immigration Service interviews are conducted on the premises of Eaves Housing for Women, the current service provider. While there is no requirement for a victim to speak to the police during the first four weeks on the POPPY Scheme, the victim may choose to do so. Information provided may add to the intelligence picture or provide a basis for further investigation.
	Following the initial immigration service interview and any police interview, workers at the POPPY Scheme undertake a needs and risk assessment and develop a support package for each victim.

OASys IT System

Cheryl Gillan: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the cost of operating the OASys system has been in the last 12 months.

Paul Goggins: The funding allocated to meet the additional cost of operating the OASys offender assessment system for the 12 months period from 1 January to 31 December 2004 was £10,182,000.
	The following table shows the breakdown between the Prison Service (HMPS) and the national probation service (NPS) and between operational and IT support costs. The figures do not include development costs for new software or project costs for establishing and implementing the projects and programme.
	
		
			£ million 
			  HMPS NPS Total 
		
		
			 Operational 5.94 3.12 9.06 
			 IT support costs 0.51 0.61 1.12 
			 Total 6.45 3.73 10.18

OASys IT System

Cheryl Gillan: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department 
	(1)  pursuant to his answer of 10 January 2005, Official Report, column 326W, on the OASys IT System, if he will list those prisons which provide custody plans or prisoner passports for adults serving short sentences;
	(2)  how many prisoners have been subject to custody plans or prisoner passports; and what percentage such prisoners represent of adults serving short sentences.

Paul Goggins: All prisoners serving sentences of 12 months or more are required to have an individual sentence plan, which is now included within OASys.
	Following local initiatives some prisons provide "Custody" plans or "passports", which focus on resettlement issues, for prisoners serving under 12-month sentences. No central record is available of the number of prisoners on these schemes.

Police

Charles Hendry: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department 
	(1)  whom Government offices of the regions consult when setting crime reduction targets for each police authority;
	(2)  if he will list the targets set for Sussex police by (a) the police authority, (b) the Government offices of the region and (c) the crime reduction partnership.

Hazel Blears: holding answer 3 February 2005
	The Government offices for the regions (GOs) do not set crime reduction targets for police authorities, for police forces or for crime and disorder reduction partnerships (CDRPs).
	The Crime and Disorder Act 1998 requires CDRPs to publish three-yearly crime and disorder reduction strategies which include specific targets for reducing crime in their areas. The next round of strategies is due to be published by 1 April 2005. A key function of GOs is to support delivery of Government business in the regions, and in line with this role, I have asked them to work with CDRPs to ensure that the local targets agreed make an appropriate contribution to national delivery of the new Home Office Public Service Agreement (PSA) 1. This PSA requires a reduction in crime by 15 per cent., and more in high-crime areas, by 2007–08.
	On the basis of advice from the Home Office, GOs' approach to this task has been to suggest to each CDRP a target "range" for which they should be aiming, The range suggested to an individual CDRP depends upon the level of crime in their area. CDRPs with higher crime levels are expected to achieve greater reductions than those in lower crime areas.
	Guidance on this process was issued to CDRPs on 7 December 2004, copied to chief constables and police authorities. In addition, the National Policing Plan published in November 2004 explicitly highlighted the need for GOs, police and CDRPs to collaborate closely in agreeing measures to achieve PSA 1. The National Policing Plan 2005–08 is available on the police reform website at www.policereform.gov.uk.
	As key members of CDRPs it is for police authorities to ensure that police performance requirements and CDRP targets are directed at achieving reductions in crime and improvements in performance. Chris Fox, chairman of the Association of Chief Police Officers, recently sent a letter to chief constables clarifying the links between the Police Performance Assessment Framework (PPAF) and the requirement for CDRPs to set challenging targets. Many CDRPs across the country have now agreed targets with their GO with which all CDRP members—including the police—are satisfied.
	Copies of all the documents referred to in this reply will be placed in the Library.

Police

Helen Southworth: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many and what percentage of officers of inspector rank and above in each constabulary are (a) women and (b) from ethnic minorities, broken down by rank.

Hazel Blears: The latest information on police strength was published in Home Office Statistical Bulletin number 13/04, "Police Service Strength England and Wales, 31 March 2004".
	The bulletin can be found on the following website: http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/rds/hosbpubs1 .html.

Police

David Davis: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the average age is of serving police officers, broken down by (a) rank and (b) police force area.

Hazel Blears: It is not possible to calculate average age from the information available centrally. Available data show that, of the 140,070 officers in post in England and Wales police forces on 31 March 2004, 14,148 (or 10 per cent.) were aged 25 or under; 75,309 (or 54 per cent.) were aged 26 to 40; 50,028 (or 36 per cent.) were aged 41 to 55; and 585 (or 0.4 per cent.) were over 55.
	A full breakdown of numbers of officers in these age bands, by rank and police force area, is shown in the following table.
	
		Age type by force for all ranks Headcount
		
			  Age type  
			 Forces 25 and under 26 to 40 41 to 55 Over 55 Total 
		
		
			 Avon and Somerset 336 1,911 1,196 18 3,461 
			 Bedfordshire 195 605 406 9 1,215 
			 Cambridgeshire 146 770 506 4 1,426 
			 Cheshire 184 1,257 774 5 2,220 
			 Cleveland 165 873 667 6 1,711 
			 Cumbria 102 697 465 0 1,264 
			 Derbyshire 193 1,123 776 10 2,102 
			 Devon and Cornwall 176 1,844 1,339 7 3,366 
			 Dorset 116 753 596 12 1,477 
			 Durham 117 979 613 5 1,714 
			 Dyfed-Powys 50 644 479 7 1,180 
			 Essex 406 1,696 1,048 15 3,165 
			 Gloucestershire 124 700 493 4 1,321 
			 Greater Manchester 907 4,450 2,781 18 8,156 
			 Gwent 111 810 464 4 1,389 
			 Hampshire 354 2,060 1,394 17 3,825 
			 Hertfordshire 360 1,152 629 4 2,145 
			 Humberside 187 1,148 910 11 2,256 
			 Kent 441 1,961 1,241 31 3,674 
			 Lancashire 223 1,997 1,392 5 3,617 
			 Leicestershire 237 1,291 786 6 2,320 
			 Lincolnshire 59 634 543 11 1,247 
			 London, City of 60 452 346 3 861 
			 Merseyside 243 2,028 1,882 10 4,163 
			 Metropolitan Police 4,013 16,052 10,142 178 30,385 
			 Norfolk 101 844 600 5 1,550 
			 Northamptonshire 89 699 489 5 1,282 
			 Northumbria 241 2,313 1,527 12 4,093 
			 North Wales 108 940 616 5 1,669 
			 North Yorkshire 125 832 582 6 1,545 
			 Nottinghamshire 249 1,347 923 18 2,537 
			 South Wales 240 1,954 1,130 9 3,333 
			 South Yorkshire 220 1,898 1,198 18 3,334 
			 Staffordshire 201 1,377 738 5 2,321 
			 Suffolk 135 753 438 5 1,331 
			 Surrey 200 1,092 662 13 1,967 
			 Sussex 403 1,724 1,012 6 3,145 
			 Thames Valley 544 2,100 1,486 19 4,149 
			 Warwickshire 105 517 396 3 1,021 
			 West Mercia 208 1,226 942 9 2,385 
			 West Midlands 961 4,473 2,668 23 8,125 
			 West Yorkshire 434 2,643 2,274 19 5,370 
			 Wiltshire 79 690 479 5 1,253 
			 Total 14,148 75,309 50,028 585 140,070

Prisons

Graham Allen: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the policy of the Prison Service is on faith-based offending behaviour initiatives; what the contractual arrangements at Dartmoor are under which an outside organisation is providing services of this kind; and how much in public funds (a) was spent in financial year 2003–04 and (b) is budgeted for (i) 2004–05 and (ii) 2005–06 in connection with such externally sourced faith-based initiatives.

Paul Goggins: All Offending Behaviour Initiatives within the Prison Service are subject to an evidence-based approach to tackling offending behaviour and must conform to the 'What Works' principles to reduce re-offending.
	A Service Level Agreement has been drawn up between the governor of HMP Dartmoor and the Inner Change Freedom Initiative (IFI) for the IFI project, a religious intervention aimed at transforming prisoners' behaviour, building on a foundation that rests upon biblical principles. This is currently being reviewed according to procedures set out in PSO 4350—Effective Regimes Interventions.
	Comprehensive details of the expenditure incurred by the Prison Service in supporting faith-based offending behaviour courses are not held centrally and can be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

Probation Service

Cheryl Gillan: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether (a) multi-agency public protection work, (b) drug treatment and testing supervision hostels and (c) probation work in prisons under the purchaser/provider model for the probation service in England and Wales will be part of the (i) offender management arm and (ii) interventions arm; and if he will make a statement.

Paul Goggins: Multi-agency public protection work, residential drug treatment and probation work in prisons all involve elements both of interventions and offender management. The national offender manager and the director general of the national probation service jointly issued guidance to probation boards in January 2005 on how they should implement offender management for community orders and licence cases. In implementing this model boards will distinguish offender management from intervention functions. Working closely in the course of 2005–06 they will develop the separation further (with the regional offender managers (ROMs)) to ensure a nationally consistent approach.

Research and Development

Anne Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many and what percentage of opportunities for research or consulting disseminated by the Department resulted in (a) research reports and (b) physical deliverables in each year since 2001–02.

Fiona Mactaggart: The Home Office conducts a range of social and physical science research and consulting activity to inform the development of the evidence base and support delivery.
	Social science
	Home Office Research, Development and Statistics (RDS) invite opportunities on commercial tenders for social research contracts. These contracts lead to the production of a final report.
	Information on the percentage of tenders that result in publication of the final report is not available, but results are normally published on successful conclusion of the work. Some commercial tenders will result in more than one publication and some publications incorporate more than one external project as well as internal projects. In addition, some of the more recent projects are ongoing and so have not yet reached publication stage.
	Physical science research
	100 per cent. of work contracted out will meet its specification due to the expertise in setting the specification and monitoring progress of the work contracted out.
	The figures on the percentage of funding on contracted out work for earlier years are not readily available, but all of this work resulted in a physical deliverable or report.
	Consultancy contracts
	In 2001–02 the Home Office awarded 145 management consultancy contracts of which 87 were competitively tendered and 58 were single tenders. This does not include professional services such as accountancy, legal services, scientific research and other professional services procured by the Home Office during 2001–02.
	Following the National Audit Office (NAO) report "Purchasing Professional Services" the Office of Government Commerce (OGC) issued guidance that re-defined consultancy to include the purchasing of all professional services and not just management consultancy.

Sentencing Policy

Claire Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will enable the formation of panels of local people to help to decide what form unpaid community work should take in their areas.

Paul Goggins: Local probation areas have always liaised with local communities in order to identify work which can usefully be undertaken by offenders. All areas survey those who benefit work undertaken by offenders to ensure that the nature and quality of the work help develop has met their needs; and they use this feedback to inform future work plans.
	With the introduction of the new community order and the unpaid work requirement throughout the Criminal Justice Act 2003, the probation service is moving towards a much more structured approach to eliciting the views of local communities. In the course of February 2005, as part of a nationally co-ordinated "Clean-Up" campaign, residents in ten probation areas will be asked to vote on a number of possible projects to be undertaken in their locality. The work will then be undertaken in the order of priority identified by residents.
	This desire to take greater account of the views of local people is reflected in the civil renewal strategy currently being developed by the National Offender Management Service. This explores ways in which the confidence of the public in community sentences can be increased. It is crucial that offenders make a visible contribution that can be identified by those in the community who benefit from it. Reparation marques, which indicate that pieces of work have been carried out by offenders, have been distributed across probation areas.

Affordable Housing

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister which other policies in addition to the £60,000 home scheme are planned to make housing more affordable for young adults.

Keith Hill: A number of homes created under the "Design for Manufacture" ("£60,000 home scheme") will be available under the First Time Buyers Initiative (FTBi). The FTBi will release land held in the public sector for the construction of new homes, removing the cost of land purchase and enabling us to offer homes to first time buyers at less than the market price. English Partnerships will lead on the delivery of 15,000 homes to 2010.
	The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister offers a range of other low cost home ownership options, including shared ownership and Homebuy, which we are looking to simplify and make fairer. In addition, affordable housing for eligible key workers in London, the South East and Eastern regions is available through the Key Worker Living programme. This £690 million programme provides equity loans, shared ownership, intermediate rented and short term rented accommodation, and will help up to 16,000 people in the three years until March 2007.
	"Sustainable Communities—Homes for All", published on 24 January sets out a wide range of measures to extend home ownership. This includes how the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister will help 80,000 people into home ownership by 2010, including through the FTBi and our traditional programmes. It also announces a new Homebuy scheme that will allow tenants of local authorities and housing associations to buy a stake in their home, which can increase over time. Finally, it also proposes changes to the planning system to ensure more affordable housing for key workers and young families in rural areas.
	This builds on the £38 billion Sustainable Communities Plan announced in February 2003 to provide for 200,000 extra homes in London and the wider South East.
	Also, in the longer term, the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister is considering our response to the Barker Review of Housing Supply in England, which has reinforced the case for housing growth in areas of high demand. Wide-ranging research is currently being carried out into the implications of her recommendations and we plan to consult on proposals for a national market affordability goal in autumn 2005.

Affordable Housing

Lindsay Hoyle: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister if he will take steps to increase the number of affordable homes for the people of Chorley.

Keith Hill: The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister is currently consulting on national policy for the provision of affordable housing in mixed communities. "Planning for Mixed Communities" was launched on 24 January and the consultation period ends on 15 April.
	The Government office, with its regional partners, is considering the provision of affordable housing, as part of the reviews of the regional housing and regional spatial strategies for the north-west. The strategies are expected to be with Ministers in May and September respectively this year.
	The Government office will continue to monitor the provision of affordable housing, in Chorley as in the remainder of the north-west.

Building Regulations

John Horam: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what conclusions he has reached following the collation of issues raised by the consultation on amendments to Part L of the Building Regulations.

Phil Hope: Officials within the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister completed the collation of over 400 separate responses to the Part L consultation in December and are considering the issues raised in conjunction with the Building Regulations Advisory Committee. As yet no conclusions have been reached.

Building Regulations

John Horam: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what representations he has received relating to the consultation on amendments to Part L of the Building Regulations on (a) the number of surveyors required to issue annual certificates and (b) the training required to implement these amendments.

Phil Hope: The consultation included proposals for implementing the Energy Performance of Buildings Directive as well as amending Part L. It is the Directive that calls for the engagement of surveyors to issue certificates but there is no requirement for these to be annual. The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister received some representations in response to the consultation on the numbers of surveyors that may be needed and the means for training them and has just received a comprehensive report from industry and others addressing the issues.

Business Rates

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what (a) rateable value thresholds, (b) rate relief levels and (c) multipliers operated (i) before and (ii) after the business rate revaluation.

Nick Raynsford: The rate relief thresholds for 2004–05 and from 1 April 2005–06 are outlined as follows.
	
		
			   £ 
			  2004–05 2005–06 
		
		
			 Former agricultural premises 6,000 7,000 
			 Unoccupied property 1,900 2,200 
			
			 Rural   
			 Petrol filling stations and public houses 9,000 10,500 
			 Other 6,000 7,000 
			 LAs discretionary relief 12,000 14,000 
			 Stud farms 3,000 3,500 
		
	
	Transitional arrangements
	For the purposes of the transitional arrangements, a small property is defined as properties with a rateable value less than £12,000 outside London and £18,000 inside London. For 20005–06 this was increased to £15,000 outside London and £21,500 inside London. The thresholds were raised in line with the overall increase in rateable values resulting from the revaluation.
	Non-domestic rate multipliers/poundage
	2004–05 Multiplier:
	Single multiplier of 0.456 or 45.6 pence in the pound
	2005–06 Multipliers:
	Small business rate relief multiplier of 0.415 or 41.5 pence in the pound
	Non-domestic rating multiplier of 0.422 or 42.2 pence in the pound

Disabled Facilities Grants

Peter Pike: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what funding has been available for Disabled Facilities Grants in each of the last three years; and if he will make a statement.

Yvette Cooper: The Government contributes towards 60 per cent. of local authority expenditure on Disabled Facilities Grants (DFG) up to the limit of the allocation made to the authority at the beginning of the financial year, with the remaining 40 per cent. being met from elsewhere in local authorities' budgets.
	Total DFG payments to local authorities in England by the Government over the last three years are tabled as follows:
	
		
			  £ million 
		
		
			 2001–02 88 
			 2002–03 95 
			 2003–04 112

Housing

Sarah Teather: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister how much previously developed land has been (a) vacant and (b) derelict in each Greater London borough, in each year since 1997.

Keith Hill: The following table shows amounts of land from the national land use database of previously-developed land. The information was collected from local authorities in 1998 and annually from 2001. Some London boroughs did not provide information in one or more years.
	
		Vacant and derelict land and buildings by London borough: 1998 to 2003 Hectares
		
			  Vacant land and buildings Derelict land and buildings 
			 London borough(29) 1998 2001 2002 2003 1998 2001 2002 2003 
		
		
			 Barking and Dagenham 7 46 45 n/a 19 89 86 n/a 
			 Barnet 25 14 21 14 40 41 40 40 
			 Bexley 13 2 11 15 10 10 10 13 
			 Brent 35 n/a 20 14 11 n/a 10 9 
			 Bromley 2 n/a (29)— n/a (29)— n/a (29)— n/a 
			 Camden 9 9 8 n/a (29)— (29)— (29)— n/a 
			 City of London 1 1 n/a (29)— 1 1 n/a (29)— 
			 City of Westminster 14 n/a 9 5 3 n/a (29)— (29)— 
			 Croydon n/a 28 28 38 n/a 16 13 14 
			 Ealing (29)— n/a (29)— 25 (29)— n/a (29)— (29)— 
			 Enfield 46 n/a n/a 83 40 n/a n/a 30 
			 Greenwich 50 83 83 92 155 107 126 42 
			 Hackney 2 1 1 1 (29)— 3 3 2 
			 Hammersmith and Fulham 3 16 14 (29)— 32 n/a (29)— (29)— 
			 Haringey 11 12 10 n/a (29)— n/a (29)— n/a 
			 Harrow 18 31 14 14 (29)— (29)— (29)— (29)— 
			 Havering 41 48 59 31 34 15 15 15 
			 Hillingdon 9 52 36 30 (29)— 3 5 5 
			 Hounslow 34 12 (29)— 6 (29)— 5 n/a 1 
			 Islington 10 9 (29)— 21 (29)— (29)— n/a (29)— 
			 Kensington and Chelsea 1 n/a (29)— n/a 4 n/a 4 n/a 
			 Kingston upon Thames 7 1 (29)— 3 (29)— n/a n/a (29)— 
			 Lambeth 11 n/a n/a 8 (30)— n/a n/a (30)— 
			 Lewisham 6 10 8 4 2 1 1 1 
			 Merton (29)— n/a 4 4 (29)— n/a 5 5 
			 Newham 104 90 52 n/a 32 31 4 n/a 
			 Redbridge n/a 10 4 4 n/a 5 5 5 
			 Richmond upon Thames 7 n/a 30 n/a 1 n/a 2 n/a 
			 Southwark n/a 22 5 n/a n/a 1 4 n/a 
			 Sutton 28 n/a 3 2 7 n/a 1 1 
			 Tower Hamlets n/a 20 9 n/a n/a 7 4 n/a 
			 Waltham Forest 27 25 16 13 2 2 1 (29)— 
			 Wandsworth 7 8 5 3 2 31 26 21 
		
	
	n/a = Not available
	(29) Nil or less than 0.5 hectares
	Totals are as reported by the London borough

Housing

Claire Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister how much was received by Sefton in 2003–04 to help fund housing related services for vulnerable people through the "Supporting People" programme.

Yvette Cooper: In 2003–04 Sefton metropolitan borough council received £7,274,310 through the "Supporting People" programme of which, £6,995,282 was programme grant and £279,028 administration grant.

Local Government/Funding

Lindsay Hoyle: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what future roles are planned for (a) county councils, (b) district councils and (c) parish and town councils.

Nick Raynsford: As set out in the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister's Five Year Plan Sustainable Communities: People Places and Prosperity and building upon the reforms we have already put in place, our new strategy for local government—local:vision—which we are developing through a series of discussion documents, will help shape a new role for local government which puts it at the heart of our work to create sustainable communities and to empower people.

Local Parking

Liam Byrne: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister if he will make a statement on local authorities' obligations to (a) assess the requirement for and (b) provide adequate local parking facilities for residents.

Keith Hill: Planning Policy Guidance Note 3: "Housing (PPG3)" explains that local authorities requirements for car parking, especially off-street car parking, are a significant determinant of the amount of land needed for new housing. In the 1990s, car parking standards for housing became increasingly demanding and were applied too rigidly, often as minimum standards.
	With this in mind, PPG3 says that local authorities should have parking standards which allow for significantly lower levels of car parking provision where appropriate. For example, this could apply to developments:
	in locations like town centres where services are accessible by walking, cycling or public transport;
	which provide housing for older people, students and single people, all of whom are likely to have less demand for car parking than families; and
	involving the conversion of housing or non-residential buildings where off-street parking is less likely to be successfully designed into the scheme.
	PPG3 advises that parking policies should be framed with good design in mind while recognising that car ownership varies with income, age, household type and location. The Planning for Housing statement of 17 July 2003, Official Report, column 53WS, explained that car parking standards should result in an average of 1.5 off-street car parking spaces per dwelling over an authority's area. As this is an average, this does not mean that the Government expects all dwellings in new developments to have 1.5 car parking spaces. Policies which would result in higher levels of off-street parking, especially in urban areas, should not be adopted.
	To help the development of appropriate standards, the Government are carrying out research to consider how varying levels of car parking can be achieved in ways consistent with their policies on sustainable residential environments. We aim to publish this research in summer 2005.

Neighbourhood Renewal

Gordon Prentice: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister when he expects to give details of the future distribution of Neighbourhood Renewal Fund monies.

Yvette Cooper: No decisions have yet been made on the allocation of over £1 billion of new Neighbourhood Renewal Fund (NRF) resources for the period 2006–08. The Government are currently consulting with key stakeholders involved in delivering neighbourhood renewal at the local level. The Government will need to consider the responses to this consultation carefully before making a final decision on the allocation of the new resources. An announcement giving details of the future distribution of the Neighbourhood Renewal Fund will be made later this year.

Planning (Gloucestershire)

David Drew: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what the timetable is for consultation upon the South West regional assembly's housing proposals for Gloucestershire; and whether this will parallel the consultation for the Regional Spatial Strategy.

Keith Hill: The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister is aware that a consultation exercise is currently being carried out in Gloucestershire, seeking views on technical work that has been undertaken on behalf of the regional assembly by a steering group led by the county council. The consultation period runs from 17 January to 18 February 2005. The results of this and other work will feed into the development of the Regional Spatial Strategy (RSS) for the South West, a draft of which will be submitted to the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister in December 2005. There will then be extensive consultation on the draft RSS, followed by an examination in public before an independent panel.

Departmental Policies

Peter Pike: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will set out, with statistical information relating as directly as possible to Burnley constituency, the effects on Burnley of his Department's policies and actions since 2 May 1997.

Charlotte Atkins: The Department has put in place a considerable programme of improvements across a wide range of transport policy areas since 1997. I am confident that the Burnley constituency will have benefited from these. For example, the injury totals for all road causalities in Great Britain fell from 327,803 in 1997 to 290,607 in 2003, and the numbers of children aged under 16 years killed or seriously injured on our roads fell from 6,452 in 1997 to 4,100 in 2003. On our railways, passenger kilometres have increased from 32.1 billion in 1996–97 to 40.9 billion in 2003–04, a rise of 27 per cent. In terms of improvements to air quality, emissions of the UK's two main pollutants—nitrous oxides and particles—fell by 31 per cent. and 27 per cent. respectively between 1997 and 2002.
	The funding provided directly to Lancashire county council since 1997 is shown in the following table 1 . It has been for Lancashire to determine how that allocation has been spent, in line with its local transport plan and its priorities.
	1 Funding allocations for 1997–98 not included since they cover a period proceeding May 1997 and announcements concerning the 1997–98 allocations were made in 1996.
	
		Lancashire county council £ million
		
			 Nature of funding 1998–99 1999–2000 2000–01 2001–02 2002–03 2003–04 2004–05 
		
		
			 Capital Maintenance 3.984 3.048 6.096 16.630 17.782 13.337 16.176 
			 Integrated Block 2.203 3.833 4.200 11.200 11.922 12.051 13.033 
			 Major schemes 0.968 2.800 0.636 — 1.026 — — 
			 Targeted bus grants(30) 1.233 1.139 1.411 2.212 1.575 3.777 1.238 
			 Total 8.338 10.82 12.343 30.042 32.305 29.165 30.447 
		
	
	(30) Includes Rural Bus Subsidy Grant and Rural Bus challenge funding
	In addition, since 1997 the Burnley constituency has benefited from major improvements to strategic infrastructure, for example the South Ribble M65 Interface scheme has been completed.
	Finally, the Neighbourhood Statistics Service provides a wide range of statistical information at parliamentary constituency level, taken from the 2001 Census and other sources. This service is available on the National Statistics website at http://neighbourhood. statistics.gov.uk./. In addition, the Department for Transport's website also contains data on transport trends over the past 20 years at http://www.dft.gov.uk.

Departmental Policies

Gordon Prentice: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will set out, with statistical information relating as directly as possible to Pendle constituency, the effects on Pendle of his Department's policies and activities since 2 May 1997.

Charlotte Atkins: The Department has put in place a considerable programme of improvements across a wide range of transport policy areas since 1997. I am confident that the Pendle constituency will have benefited from these. For example, the injury totals for all road causalities in Great Britain fell from 327,803 in 1997 to 290,607 in 2003, and the numbers of children aged under 16 years killed or seriously injured on our roads fell from 6,452 in 1997 to 4,100 in 2003. On our railways, passenger kilometres have increased from 32.1 billion in 1996–97 to 40.9 billion in 2003–04, a rise of 27 per cent. In terms of improvements to air quality, emissions of the UK's two main pollutants—nitrous oxides and particles—fell by 31 per cent. and 27 per cent. respectively between 1997 and 2002.
	The funding provided directly to Lancashire county council since 1997 is shown in the following table 1 . It has been for Lancashire to determine how that allocation has been spent, in line with its local transport plan and its priorities.
	1 Funding allocations for 1997–98 not included since they cover a period proceeding May 1997 and announcements concerning the 1997–98 allocations were made in 1996.
	
		Lancashire county council £ million
		
			 Nature of funding 1998–99 1999–2000 2000–01 2001–02 2002–03 2003–04 2004–05 
		
		
			 Capital Maintenance 3.984 3.048 6.096 16.630 17.782 13.337 16.176 
			 Integrated Block 2.203 3.833 4.200 11.200 11.922 12.051 13.033 
			 Major schemes 0.968 2.800 0.636 — 1.026 — — 
			 Targeted bus grants(31) 1.233 1.139 1.411 2.212 1.575 3.777 1.238 
			 Total 8.338 10.82 12.343 30.042 32.305 29.165 30.447 
		
	
	(31) Includes Rural Bus Subsidy Grant and Rural Bus challenge funding.
	In addition, since 1997 the Pendle constituency has benefited from major improvements to strategic infrastructure, for example the South Ribble M65 Interface scheme has been completed.
	Finally, the Neighbourhood Statistics Service provides a wide range of statistical information at parliamentary constituency level, taken from the 2001 Census and other sources. This service is available on the National Statistics website at http://neighbourhood. statistics.gov.uk./. In addition, the Department for Transport's website also contains data on transport trends over the past 20 years at http://www.dft.gov.uk.

Departmental Policies

Jon Trickett: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will set out, with statistical evidence relating as closely as possible to Hemsworth constituency, the effects of changes to departmental policy since 1997 on Hemsworth constituency.

Charlotte Atkins: The Department has put in place a considerable programme of improvements across a wide range of transport policy areas since 1997. I am confident that the Hemsworth constituency will have benefited from these. For example, the injury totals for all road causalities in Great Britain fell from 327,803 in 1997 to 290,607 in 2003, and the numbers of children aged under 16 years killed or seriously injured on our roads fell from 6,452 in 1997 to 4,100 in 2003. On our railways, passenger kilometres have increased from 32.1 billion in 1996–97 to 40.9 billion in 2003–04, a rise of 27 per cent. In terms of improvements to air quality, emissions of the UK's two main pollutants—nitrous oxides and particles—fell by 31 per cent. and 27 per cent. respectively between 1997 and 2002.
	The funding provided directly to City of Wakefield council since 1997 is shown in the following table 1 . It has been for City of Wakefield to determine how that allocation has been spent, in line with the local transport plan for West Yorkshire and the local priorities.
	1 Funding allocations for 1997–98 not included since they cover a period proceeding May 1997 and announcements concerning the 1997–98 allocations were made in 1996.
	
		City of Wakefield £ million
		
			 Nature of funding 1998–99 1999–2000 2000–01 2001–02 2002–03 2003–04 2004–05 
		
		
			 Capital Maintenance 1.404 1.752 4.608 2.860 3.762 4.190 4.292 
			 Integrated Block 1.086 1.130  2.900 3.095 2.910 2.931 
			 Major schemes — — — — — — — 
			 Targeted bus grants(32) 0.920 0.764 1.473 2.385 2.050 2.773 0.980 
			 Total 3.41 3.646 6.081 8.145 8.907 9.873 8.203 
		
	
	(32) Includes Rural Bus Subsidy Grant and Rural Bus challenge funding.
	The Hemsworth constituency is likely to benefit from further improvements to strategic infrastructure. Funding support for the Hemsworth to Al and the Glasshoughton Coalfields link roads has been provisionally approved.
	Finally, the Neighbourhood Statistics Service provides a wide range of statistical information at parliamentary constituency level, taken from the 2001 Census and other sources. This service is available on the National Statistics website at http://neighbourhood. statistics.gov.uk/. In addition, the Department for Transport's website also contains data on transport trends over the past 20 years at http://www.dft.gov.uk.

Departmental Policies

Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will set out, including statistical information relating as directly as possible to the constituency, the effect on North Durham constituency of his Department's policies since June 2001.

Charlotte Atkins: The Department has put in place a considerable programme of improvements across a wide range of transport policy areas since 1997. I am confident that the North Durham constituency will have benefited from these. For example, the injury totals for all road causalities in Great Britain fell from 327,803 in 1997 to 290,607 in 2003, and the numbers of children aged under 16 years killed or seriously injured on our roads fell from 6,452 in 1997 to 4,100 in 2003. On our railways, passenger kilometres have increased from 32.1 billion in 1996–7 to 40.9 billion in 2003–04, a rise of 27 per cent. In terms of improvements to air quality, emissions of the UK's two main pollutants—nitrous oxides and particles—fell by 31 per cent. and 27 per cent. respectively between 1997 and 2002.
	The funding provided directly to Durham county council since 2001 is shown in the following table 1 . It has been for Durham to determine how that allocation has been spent, in line with its local transport plan and its priorities.
	1 Funding allocations for 2000–01 not included since they cover a period proceeding June 1997.
	
		Durham county council £ million
		
			 Nature of funding 2001–02 2002–03 2003–04 2004–05 
		
		
			 Capital Maintenance 8.555 9.103 8.008 9.357 
			 Integrated Block 5.397 6.440 8.054 7.895 
			 Major schemes 1.955 6.117 1.007 8.103 
			 Targeted bus grants(33) 1.713 1.626 0.902 0.929 
			 Total 17.62 23.286 17.971 26.284 
		
	
	(33) Includes Rural Bus Subsidy Grant and Rural Bus challenge funding.
	Finally, the Neighbourhood Statistics Service provides a wide range of statistical information at parliamentary constituency level, taken from the 2001 Census and other sources. This service is available on the National Statistics website at http://neighbourhood. statistics.gov.uk./. In addition, the Department for Transport's website also contains data on transport trends over the past 20 years at http://www.dft.gov.uk.

Noise Pollution (Maidenhead)

Theresa May: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what studies his Department has conducted of the effect at different times of day of noise pollution from Heathrow airport in Maidenhead and the surrounding area.

Charlotte Atkins: Noise is continually monitored by BAA at 12 sites around the airport, including Dorney, to the south east of Maidenhead. Annual noise contours at Heathrow, which provide noise maps for a 16 hour day time period, are calibrated from mobile noise monitors and produced by the Civil Aviation Authority's Environmental Research Consultancy Department on behalf of the Department. These are published annually on the Department's website. They show that Maidenhead lies beyond the 57dBA contour area normally considered to represent the onset of significant community annoyance.
	The Department and its predecessors have commissioned a range of studies over the years about the effects of noise on annoyance and sleep disturbance at various times of day and night. These include the large-scale "Aircraft Noise Index Study" (CAA DR Report 8402) in the early 1980s, which included fieldwork at Slough.
	On behalf of the Department, a consortium led by The MVA Consultancy is currently engaged in a major study of "Attitudes to Noise from Aircraft Sources in England" (ANASE). As part of the extended pilot phase of this project, questionnaires about attitudes to noise at different times of day were trialled at a number of sites to the west of Heathrow, though not in Maidenhead itself. If this project proceeds to its second (major fieldwork and analysis) phase, sites will be sampled from a wide range of possible areas around Heathrow and other airports.

Publicity

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what the total expenditure by his Department on (a) advertising and (b) advertising and publicity was in (i) 1996–97, (ii) 1997–98 and (iii) 2003–04; and what the estimate of cost of each will be in (A) 2004–05, (B) 2005–06, (C) 2006–07 and (D) 2007–08.

Charlotte Atkins: Following departmental reorganisations, my Department no longer has responsibility for campaigns such as fire safety and the environment run by predecessor Departments. Therefore total advertising and publicity figures for 1996–98 could only be provided at disproportionate cost.
	On road safety advertising however, we have increased our commitment substantially from £4.76 million and £4.48 million in 1996–97 and 1997–98 respectively to £10.1 million in 2003–04 in support of the THINK! road safety campaign.
	Expenditure by the Department for fiscal year 2003–04 and estimates for the current and future years' expenditure on advertising and advertising and publicity are set out in the following table, where currently available.
	
		
			  £ million 
			  2003–04 2004–05 2005–06 2006–07 2007–08 
		
		
			 (a) Advertising expenditure:   
			 DfT Central 10.4 9.8 10 10 n/a 
			 DfT Agencies 10.43 8.3 n/a n/a n/a 
			   
			 (b) Advertising and publicity:   
			 DfT Central 16.4 16.1 16 16 n/a 
			 DfT Agencies 17.0 15.6 15.5 12.3 n/a 
		
	
	n/a = Not available.
	The majority of Executive Agency advertising spend above is attributable to DVLA. The Agencies' publicity spend figure however includes a component of advertising, given some agencies, who do not advertise much, charge advertising and publicity to the same accounting code.

Rural Transport

Helen Southworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport pursuant to the Answer of 3 February 2005, Official Report, column 1038W, on rural transport, if he will set out with statistical information that relates as closely as possible to (a) Warrington South constituency, (b) Warrington and (c) Cheshire, what initiatives his Department has introduced since 2001 to support transport provision in rural areas.

Charlotte Atkins: In the period since 2001 we have made available awards to both Warrington borough council and Cheshire county council under the Rural Bus Subsidy Grant (RBSG) and the Rural Bus Challenge (RBC) schemes. The totals for the period 2000–01 to 2004–05 are shown in the following table.
	
		
			   £ 
			 Authority RBSG RBC 
		
		
			 Warrington borough council 419,859 0 
			 Cheshire county council 4,153,367 2,118,000 
		
	
	The initiatives which I mentioned in my previous answer on support for community transport, steps to make it easier to provide demand responsive bus services and the introduction of accessibility planning of course apply in these areas as elsewhere.

European Constitution

Ian Davidson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs 
	(1)  if he will make a statement on the Government's implementation of Article IV-444 of the EU Constitution;
	(2)  if he will explain the Government's intended procedures for parliamentary ratification of decisions taken by the European Council on the basis of paragraphs 1 or 2 of Article IV-444 of the EU Constitution.

Denis MacShane: Clause 2 of the European Union Bill creates a requirement that any initiative for a decision to amend the Treaty made under Article IV-444 must be approved by Parliament in order for it to be recognised in domestic law. The House of Lords will be granted a minimum of 20 sitting days to consider any proposed change and deliver an opinion to the House of Commons. Parliamentary approval will then be signified by approval of a resolution by the House of Commons.

Iraq

Lembit �pik: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many citizens have been killed as a result of military action by coalition forces in Iraq since April 2002.

Denis MacShane: I refer the hon. Member to the answer provided by my right hon. Friend the Minister for Armed Forces (Mr. Ingram) to my hon. Friend the Member for Liverpool Walton (Mr. Kilfoyle) on 27 January 2005 Official Report, column 541W and to the reply my hon. Friend the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (Mr. Rammell) gave to the hon. Member for Blaenau Gwent (Llew Smith) on 10 January Official Report, column 23 W. Additionally, the Iraqi Ministry of Health released a statement on 28 January 2005, which stated that their latest records from July to December 2004, taken from some 180 hospitals, show that 2,041 Iraqis were killed as a result of 'military action'. The statement explained that:
	Casualties of car bombs and other clearly identifiable terrorist attacks are recorded as being caused by terrorist incidents. All other casualties are recorded as military action. The casualties may include insurgents, civilians as well as Iraqi police who are treated in Ministry of Health hospitals. The casualties may have been killed or injured by terrorist or coalition forces. Coalition forces include Iraqi police, Iraqi security forces, and the Multi-National forces.

Iraq

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions (a) he, (b) officials in his Department and (c) representatives of the UK Government have had with members and representatives of (i) the US Administration, (ii) the Governments of the EU member states and (iii) the Iraqi interim authority concerning Turkey's concerns over the (1) run-up to and (2) outcome of the elections in Iraq; and if he will make a statement.

Denis MacShane: We discuss Iraq regularly with our international partners, including the impact of developments in Iraq on Iraq's neighbours. We enjoy a very good dialogue with the Turkish Government on Iraq and are well aware of Turkey's views and concerns. Turkey's Foreign Minister on 31 January welcomed the Iraqi elections as a step taken on the road to the establishment of a democratic regime in Iraq.

Iraq

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what categorisation system the Iraqi Ministry of Health uses to calculate casualty figures in Iraq.

Denis MacShane: The Iraqi Ministry of Health released a statement on 28 January 2005, which explained that: Casualties of car bombs and other clearly identifiable terrorist attacks are recorded as being caused by terrorist incidents. All other casualties are recorded as military action. The casualties may include insurgents, civilians as well as Iraqi police who are treated in Ministry of Health hospitals. The casualties may have been killed or injured by terrorist or coalition forces. Coalition forces include Iraqi police, Iraqi security forces, and the Multi-National forces.

Nepal

Mark Simmonds: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions have taken place with (a) EU partners and (b) India regarding (i) Maoist insurgency in Nepal, (ii) the recent breakdown in multi-party democracy and (iii) the possibility of UN mediation between the Nepalese King, politicians and Maoists.

Douglas Alexander: We have a regular dialogue with India and with EU partners regarding the situation in Nepal. My right hon. Friend the Prime Minister and my right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary have raised the issue with their Indian counterparts in the new administration and the UK Special Representative for Nepal, Sir Jeffrey James, visits India several times a year. The Foreign Secretary raised Nepal with EU partners at the General Affairs and External Relations Council in June 2004 and it is regularly discussed in committee at official level. After the King assumed direct control of the country on 1 February the EU issued a statement with input from the UK. We have been in regular contact with the Indians following last week's actions by the King. We will continue to work to encourage all democratic forces in Nepal to work together.

Nuclear Weapons

Llew Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent meetings John Freeman, UK Ambassador to the Conference on Disarmament, has had with non-governmental organisations in respect of the forthcoming review conference of the Nuclear Non-proliferation Treaty; what matters were raised by each organisation; and what steps the Government plans as a result of the meetings.

Denis MacShane: John Freeman met representatives of the Mayors for Peace organisation on 21 January 2005 to discuss Government policy and issues relevant to the Nuclear Non-proliferation Treaty review conference. On 24 January 2005, he chaired a roundtable meeting attended by representatives of 12 non-governmental organisations for further discussions on these issues. Those represented at the roundtable meeting were: Abolition 2000, Acronym Institute/Disarmament Diplomacy, British American Security Information Council, Christian CND, CND, Oxford Research Group, Peace and Security Liaison Group, Pugwash, Quaker Peace and Social Witness, VERTIC, Weapons of Mass Destruction Awareness Programme, and World Court Project. A presentation was also given at this meeting on behalf of the Nuclear Issues Working Group and Peace and Security Liaison Group, umbrella groups for a number of non-governmental organisations.
	There is an understanding that comments made during these meetings between officials and non-governmental organisations are not attributed but, in each case, those attending took the opportunity to discuss a range of issues about the international non-proliferation and disarmament regime and possible outcomes at the review conference. The points made in the meetings will be considered as part of the dialogue with non-governmental organisations (NGOs). Further meetings will be held during the conference between officials and the representatives of NGOs attending.

Pakistan

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations he has made to the Government of Pakistan about Mrs. Hanifan Bibi.

Douglas Alexander: We are aware of the attack on Mrs. Hanifan Bibi in January this year. Although we have made no representations to the Pakistani authorities regarding this particular incident, the British Government continues to take a serious view of all aspects of religious intolerance and discrimination in Pakistan. We continue to raise our concerns with the Pakistani authorities on issues such as this and other Human Rights concerns in concert with our EU partners, most recently in December 2004.

Turkey

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment his Department has made of the number of (a) allegations of police mistreatment, (b) charges brought against police officers and (c) dismissals of police officers following allegations of mistreatment in each year since 1997 in Turkey; and if he will make a statement.

Denis MacShane: Our Embassy in Ankara monitors the human rights situation in Turkey closely, including implementation of the Turkish Government's reforms introduced to eradicate torture.
	According to NGO statistics, the number of allegations of police mistreatment for 2003 increased compared to previous years. However, NGOs attributed this to a greater inclination to report incidents of torture rather than an actual increase in the number of incidents. In the first six months of 2004 the Turkish NGO, the Human Rights Association, recorded 202 allegations of torture arid ill treatment under police custody compared with 818 in the whole of 2003. The European Commission's 2004 Progress Report on Turkey states that:
	the Government's serious efforts to implement the legislative reforms have lead to a decline in instances of torture.
	We believe that the number of police officers charged with mistreatment, and the number who have been dismissed following allegations of mistreatment has risen, but the numbers of cases opened and the number of successful prosecutions remains very low.
	There is growing evidence of improved implementation of the Turkish Government's reforms introduced to eradicate torture. However, allegations of torture continue, and it is clear that more needs to be done.

Turkey

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment his Department has made of the statement released on 25 January by the Turkish Human Rights Association Ynsan Haklari DerneDy regarding the number of honour killings in Turkey; and if he will make a statement.

Denis MacShane: The Turkish Human Rights Association (HRA) released a press statement on 18 January detailing four separate cases of honour killings. In the statement the HRA called on state officials to take all necessary measures to stop honour killings and to protect women.
	The Turkish Government's domestic reform programme has strengthened the rights of women in Turkey. The Turkish Government adopted a new Penal Code in September 2004 that removes sentence reductions for honour killings. The last few months have seen several landmark sentences handed down for honour killings. The Turkish Government passed a new Municipalities Law in December 2004 requiring municipalities to open shelters for women in communities of more than 50,000 people, and a package of constitutional amendments was passed in May 2004 that confirms equality between men and women.
	The Turkish Government's commitment to address honour crimes and ensure the full protection of women's rights was demonstrated by their decision to co-table with the UK a successful resolution in the UN General Assembly on 'honour crimes'.
	According to Ka-Mer (Turkey's largest women's NGO) at least 200 females are murdered by their families in Turkey each year. Accurate official statistics do not exist, as police records do not show whether 'honour' was a contributing factor in a murder.

Alcohol

Mark Fisher: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much has been spent by his Department on (a) treating and (b) rehabilitating alcoholics in each of the last seven years.

Melanie Johnson: No information is routinely collected on this expenditure. A study by Alcohol Concern in 2002, and developed in the Prime Minister's strategy unit's paper, Alcohol Misuse: How much does it cost? (September 2003) gives an overall figure for treatment services of 96.1 million in 2002.

Ambulance Services/Trusts

Laurence Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what minimum standards of service must be met before he approves the merger of ambulance trusts.

Rosie Winterton: There are no set standards, but as a general rule, before he approves the merger of any national health service trusts, the Secretary of State would need to be satisfied that appropriate consultation has been undertaken locally; any organisational changes are in the interests of patients and staff and would help improve performance against the requirements and standards set out in National Standards, Local Action and other relevant documents.

Diabetes Treatment

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what assessment he has made of the European Medicines Evaluation Agency's call for more clinical trials on analogues used in diabetes treatment;
	(2)  what assessment he has made of the possible carcinogenic effect of analogues prescribed for diabetes;
	(3)  what his policy is on the mitogenic potency of insulin analogues.

Rosie Winterton: Insulins are known to have a weak mitogenic effect on some cells in cell culture. Before any licence is granted, a full and thorough review of all the available data takes place to ensure that the product is of appropriate standards of safety, quality and efficacy. The European regulatory guidelines Points to Consider, a document on the non-clinical assessment of the carcinogenic potential of insulin analogues provides guidance to industry on the general approach to the assessment of new insulin analogues, and these points need to be addressed before a licence would be granted. For any application, the documentation, including clinical trial details and results, accompanying the formal application for the product licence should be consistent with current European and national legal requirements and guidelines relating to applications for marketing authorisations.
	As with all new medicines, several insulin analogues are currently under intensive monitoring by the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency and the committee on safety of medicines. We are not aware of any clinical evidence to suggest that diabetic patients who receive either human insulins, insulin analogues or animal insulins are at an increased risk of developing cancer. Any further clinical trial data would always be considered to be of benefit and welcomed.

MRSA

Charles Hendry: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans he has to raise public awareness of MRSA and potential safeguards against contracting infections.

Melanie Johnson: holding answer 17 January 2005
	I regard it as a high priority for the Department and the national health service to ensure that the public have reliable and useful information about Methicillin Resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), the source of blood infections and measures to reduce the risk of infection. There are a number of ways in which the public are informed.
	The Department publishes the details of MRSA rates in every acute trust in England, and in December published A Simple Guide to MRSA by Professor Brian Duerden, the inspector of microbiology and infection control. This is available at http://www.dh.gov.uk/PolicyAndGuidance/HealthAndSocialCareTopics/HealthcareAcquiredInfection/.
	The Health Protection Agency (HPA) has produced a patient information leaflet, MRSA: Information for patients, which is available from NHS hospitals or on the HPA website at http://www.hpa.org.uk/infections/.
	The NHS Direct online health encyclopaedia has comprehensive information on MRSA available at www.nhs.direct.nhs.uk or by telephoning NHS Direct.
	Individual trusts are responsible for informing future and current patients about their stay in hospital, including infection control measures.
	One of the most important ways of reduce the risk of transmission of MRSA is by maintaining high standards of hand hygiene, and an important hand hygiene initiative is currently being rolled out through NHS hospitals. This is the cleanyourhands campaign, which includes the provision of patient information leaflets and posters. The patient information leaflet for a patient entering a Clean Hands Partner hospital invites patients to be a partner in maintaining high hand hygiene standards. The leaflet is also available on the National Patient Safety Agency website at www.npsa.nhs.uk/cleanyourhands. I expect all NHS acute trusts in England either to participate in this campaign or to have equivalent hand hygiene measures already in place.

Passive Smoking

Tom Cox: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many people have died in each of the last five years whose death was partly or wholly attributable to passive smoking.

Melanie Johnson: The 2004 report of the Scientific Committee on Tobacco and Health (SCOTH), which was published alongside the White Paper Choosing Health, states that new evidence reinforces and strengthens the conclusion of the 1998 report from SCOTH which estimated that there are several hundred deaths a year due to lung cancer caused by second-hand smoke.
	The Committee did not estimate the number of deaths due to other causes linked to second-hand smoke, such as heart disease or sudden infant death syndrome, or the number of deaths in the workplace. Copies are available in the Library.

Salt

Ian Gibson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what efforts his Department has made to raise awareness of the salt content in processed food.

Melanie Johnson: Together with the Food Standards Agency (FSA), I have been leading discussions with industry to identify and implement a range of proposals to increase opportunities for people to make healthy choices in what they eat. As outlined in the recent White Paper, Choosing Health, these are aimed at increasing the availability of healthier food including reducing the levels of salt, added sugars and saturated fat in prepared and processed food and drink.
	At a stakeholder event on salt in November 2003, I called for industry to submit plans to reduce salt in processed food. To date discussions have been held with, and commitments received to reduce salt from over 60 organisations.
	The FSA launched a high profile public health campaign in September 2004 to raise awareness of health issues surrounding high salt intakes. Initial evaluation of the campaign shows it has had a very positive impact; and research has shown an increase in consumers who are making an effort to cut how much salt they eat and change their shopping behaviour. The next stage of the campaign is currently being considered. The FSA also publishes regular surveys of the salt content of processed foods, which have included soup, pizza, sausages, and baked beans and pasta in tomato sauce.

Council Tax Benefit

David Willetts: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what estimate he has made of the number of pensioners in (a) England, (b) Wales, (c) Scotland and (d) Great Britain entitled to council tax benefit in each year from 199798 to 200405.

Chris Pond: The information is not available in the format requested.
	Estimates of the number of pensioners in receipt of council tax benefit, averaged over each year, and the number of entitled non-recipients are available for Great Britain only. These are published in the Department's annual statistical series: Income Related Benefits Estimates of Take-Up.
	Statistics for 200203 have been published today and placed in the Library alongside existing publications.

Disability Living Allowance

Jim Cousins: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people received (a) disability living allowance and (b) attendance allowance in (i) the City of Newcastle-upon-Tyne and (ii) the constituency of Newcastle-upon-Tyne Central in each year since 1996.

Maria Eagle: The administration of attendance allowance and disability living allowance are a matter for the Chief Executive of the Disability and Carers Service, Mr. Terry Moran. He will write to the hon. Member with the information requested.
	Letter from Terry Moran to Mr. Jim Cousins, dated 8 February 2005
	In reply to your recent Parliamentary Question about the Disability and Carers Service, the Minister for Disabled People, Maria Eagle MP, on behalf of the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, promised a substantive reply from the Chief Executive.
	You asked the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many people received (a) disability living allowance and (b) attendance allowance in (i) the City of Newcastle-upon-Tyne and (ii) the constituency of Newcastle-upon-Tyne Central in each year since 1996.
	
		Thousand
		
			 August: Disability living allowance recipients in the local authority of City of Newcastle upon Tyne Disability living allowance recipients in the constituency of Newcastle-upon-Tyne Central Attendance allowance recipients in the local authority of City of Newcastle upon Tyne Attendance allowance recipients in the constituency of Newcastle-upon-Tyne Central 
		
		
			 2004 14.3 4.1 7.0 1.7 
			 2003 14.2 3.9 7.0 1.6 
			 2002 14.1 4.0 6.4 1.5 
			 2001 14.2 4.1 6.7 1.9 
			 2000 13.4 37 6.7 1.9 
			 1999 13.6 3.7 6.6 1.8 
			 1998 12.8 3.4 5.9 1.7 
			 1997 12.1 3.2 5.7 1.9 
			 1996 10.7 n/a 5.3 2.1 
		
	
	n/a = Not available.
	Notes:
	1. Figures are rounded to the nearest hundred and quoted in thousands.
	2. Number is based on a 5 per cent. sample and therefore subject to a degree of sampling variation.
	3. Parliamentary constituencies and local authorities are assigned by matching postcodes against the relevant ONS postcode directory.
	4. From November 2002, the methodology for producing these figures was changed to allow statistics to be published much sooner. This has resulted in a small increase in the reported caseload. This is because some cases which have actually terminated but have not yet been updated on the computer system are now included.
	Source:
	IAD Information Centre, 5 per cent. sample
	I hope this is helpful.

Disability Living Allowance

Mark Fisher: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people in each electoral ward in Stoke-on-Trent claimed disability living allowance in each of the past seven years.

Maria Eagle: The administration of disability living allowance is a matter for the Chief Executive of the Disability and Carers Service, Mr. Terry Moran. He will write to the hon. Member with the information requested.
	Letter from Terry Moran to Mr. Mark Fisher, dated 27 January 2005
	In reply to your recent Parliamentary Question about the Disability and Carers Service, the Minister for Disabled People, Maria Eagle MP, on behalf of the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, promised a substantive reply from the Chief Executive.
	You asked the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people in each electoral ward in Stoke-on-Trent claimed Disability Living Allowance (DLA) in each of the past seven years.
	The number of people in each electoral ward of Stoke-on-Trent, in receipt of Disability Living Allowance, is as follows:
	
		Table 1: 1998 ward boundariesparliamentary constituency Stoke-on-Trent central
		
			  DLA claimantsAugust 
			 Ward name 1998 1999 2000 
		
		
			 Abbey 915 925 980 
			 Berryhill 885 905 885 
			 Brookhouse 960 965 990 
			 Hanley Green 675 690 720 
			 Hartshill 410 420 430 
			 Shelton 885 855 880 
			 Stoke West 585 590 635 
		
	
	
		Table 2: 2003 Ward boundariesparliamentary constituency Stoke-on-Trent central
		
			  DLA claimantsAugust 
			 Ward name 2001 2002 2003 
		
		
			 Abbey Green 1,030 1,060 1,125 
			 Bentilee and Townsend 1,280 1,335 1,375 
			 Berryhill and Hanley East 830 875 900 
			 Burslem South 940 980 1,010 
			 Fenton 835 860 875 
			 Hanley West and Shelton 600 610 655 
			 Hartshill and Penkhull 475 460 480 
			 Northwood and Birches Head 785 780 810 
			 Stoke and Trent Vale 695 740 755 
		
	
	Notes:
	1. Information is only available for six years (19982003).
	2. 1998 to 2000 figures are based on 1998 ward boundaries.
	3. 2001 to 2003 figures are based on April 2003 ward boundaries.
	4. In 200103, Berryhill and Hanley East; Burslem South, Fenton, Hanley West and Shelton; North and Birches Head; Stoke and Trent Vale wards are included as they are partially in the Stoke-on-Trent Central Parliamentary Constituency.
	5. DLA figures include all claimants including children, working age and pensioners claiming DLA.
	6. All benefit counts at ward level are rounded to a multiple of 5 to protect the confidentiality of individual claimants.
	Source:
	Information Directorate, Information Centre, Department for Work and Pensions.
	I hope this is helpful.

Disabled People

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people with disabilities in Coventry, South constituency have returned to work in the last five years.

Jane Kennedy: holding answer 31 January 2005
	The available Information on the number of people with disabilities who have benefited from the New Deal programme in Coventry, South is in the following tables.
	
		Number of people with disabilities who have benefited from the following New Deal programmes in Coventry, South; New Deal for Young People; New Deal 25 plus; New Deal for Lone Parents; New Deal 50 plus
		
			 October to September Individuals into work 
		
		
			 19992000 30 
			 200001 30 
			 200102 30 
			 200203 30 
			 200304 30 
			 Total 150 
		
	
	Notes:
	1. New Deal for Partners information is only available at national level.
	2. New Deal for Young People started in January 1998; New Deal 25 plus started in July 1998; New Deal for Lone Parents started in October 1998; New Deal 50 plus started in April 2000.
	3. New Deal 50 plus information relates to the number of New Deal 50 plus employment credit starts to March 2003. Information on the number of New Deal 50 plus recorded job entries from April 2003 to September 2004 is not available at constituency level.
	4. All figures have been rounded to the nearest 10 and for this reason, components may not necessarily sum to totals.
	Source:
	New Deal Evaluation Database
	New Deal for Disabled People information is not available at constituency level. The available information for the Coventry and Warwickshire Jobcentre Plus district is in the table.
	
		Number of individuals who have work from New Deal for Disabled People (NDDP) in the Coventry and Warwickshire Jobcentre Plus district
		
			  Individuals into work 
		
		
			 200101 (July to September) 0 
			 October to September  
			 200102 40 
			 200203 90 
			 200304 220 
			 Total 340 
		
	
	Notes:
	1. Starts figures relate to the number of individuals registering with an NDDP Job Broker.
	2. Individuals into work figures relate to the number of individuals gaining jobs through Job Broker jobs and individuals gaining jobs through Jobcentre Plus.
	3. The NDDP programme is available to people in receipt of a disability or health related benefit and started in July 2001.
	4. All figures have been rounded to the nearest 10 and for this reason, components may not necessarily sum to totals.
	Source:
	New Deal Evaluation Database
	In addition to New Deal there are a number of programmes such as Access to Work, Work Preparation and WORKSTEP designed to help disabled people return to work. Details of the number of people helped to return to work through these programmes is not available at constituency or Jobcentre Plus district level.
	Jobcentre Plus also offers interviews with a personal adviser to all disabled people making new or repeat claims to qualifying benefits to ensure they are aware of the help and opportunities available to them.

Disabled People

Mark Fisher: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people with disabilities in Stoke-on-Trent have returned to work in each of the last seven years.

Jane Kennedy: The available information on the number of people with disabilities who have benefited from the New Deal programme in Stoke-on-Trent is in the table.
	
		Number of people with disabilities who have benefited from the following New Deal programmes in Stoke-on-Trent 1New Deal for Young People; New Deal 25 Plus; New Deal for Lone Parents; New Deal 50 plus
		
			 October to September Individuals into work 
		
		
			 199798 20 
			 199899 90 
			 19992000 130 
			 200001 150 
			 200102 190 
			 200203 170 
			 200304 100 
			 Total 850 
		
	
	(34) Figures are for the three Stoke-on-Trent parliamentary constituencies (Stoke-on-Trent, North, Stoke-on-Trent, Central and Stoke-on-Trent, South).
	Notes:
	1. New Deal for Partners information is only available at national level.
	2. New Deal for Young People started in January 1998; New Deal 25 plus started in July 1998; New Deal for Lone Parents started in October 1998; New Deal 50 plus started in April 2000.
	3. New Deal 50 plus information relates to the number of New Deal 50 plus employment credit starts to March 2003. Information on the number of New Deal 50 plus recorded job entries from April 2003 to September 2004 is not available at constituency level.
	4. All figures have been rounded to the nearest 10 and for this reason, components may not necessarily sum to totals.
	Source:
	New Deal Evaluation Database
	New Deal for Disabled People information is not available at constituency level. The available information for the Staffordshire Jobcentre Plus District is in the table.
	
		Number of people who have benefited from New Deal for Disabled People (NDDP) in the Staffordshire Jobcentre Plus district
		
			  Individuals into work 
		
		
			 200101 (July to September) 0 
			 October to September  
			 200102 40 
			 200203 240 
			 200304 520 
			 Total 800 
		
	
	Notes:
	1. Starts figures relate to the number of individuals registering with an NDDP Job Broker.
	2. Individuals into work figures relate to the number of individuals gaining jobs through Job Broker jobs and individuals gaining jobs through Jobcentre Plus.
	3. The NDDP programme is available to people in receipt of a disability or health related benefit and started in July 2001.
	4. All figures have been rounded to the nearest 10 and for this reason, components may not necessarily sum to totals.
	Source:
	New Deal Evaluation Database
	In addition to New Deal there are a number of programmes such as Access to Work, Work Preparation and WORKSTEP designed to help disabled people return to work. Details of the number of people helped to return to work through these programmes is not available at constituency or Jobcentre Plus District level.
	Jobcentre Plus also offers interviews with a personal adviser to all disabled people making new or repeat claims to qualifying benefits to ensure they are aware of the help and opportunities available to them.

Incapacity Benefit

Paul Goodman: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what estimate he has made of the (a) start-up costs and (b) annual running costs of the incapacity benefit pilot projects, broken down by cost of (i) personal advisers, (ii) the new return to work credit, (iii) condition management courses, (iv) work programmes and (v) other costs.

Maria Eagle: The start-up costs for the incapacity benefit reform (Pathways to Work) pilots were incurred in the 200304 financial year and amounted 6,137,080. These include the costs of developing an extremely new and innovative learning and development package for personal advisers and work with NHS partners on the development of the Condition Management Programme.
	The running costs for the Pathways to Work pilots are in the table.
	
		Pathways to work pilots running costs
		
			 
			  200304 200405 200506 
		
		
			 Personal Advisers 626,895 2,619,651 3,619,136 
			 Return to Work Credit 248,650 5,731,923 10,688,675 
			 Condition Management 887,500 8,924,074 12,194,577 
			 Work Programmes 1,195,436 7,444,959 6,755,478 
			 Other costs 2,381,806 18,320,328 26,032,134 
		
	
	The figures for Personal Advisers also include some costs of Jobcentre Plus staff responsible for processing incapacity benefit that cannot be separated out.
	The other costs given include funding for the evaluation of Pathways to Work, costs for medical services delivered by ATOS Origin and additional support for Pilot offices.

New Deal for Lone Parents

Theresa May: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions 
	(1)  what the total expenditure on the New Deal for Lone Parents was in each year that the scheme has been in operation;
	(2)  what proportion of the budget for New Deal for Lone Parents has been spent on administration in each year that the scheme has been in operation.

Jane Kennedy: The information is in the table.
	
		Expenditure on New Deal for Lone Parents
		
			  Administrative expenditure   millionPercentage Programme expenditure ( million) Total ( million) 
		
		
			 199899 17 94 1 18 
			 19992000 26 68 12 38 
			 200001 18 56 14 32 
			 200102 73 89 9 82 
			 200203 71 82 16 87 
			 200304 62 77 19 81 
		
	
	Notes:
	1. Figures for 199899 to 200203 are outturn figures. Figures for 200304 are estimated outturn figures.
	2. Following agreement with HM Treasury to remove the 'ring fences' from individual New Deals, New Deal administrative expenditure is no longer accounted for separately. Figures for 200203 and later years are estimates
	3. Administration costs cover pay, travel and subsistence and accommodation, and include IT, estates and other non-staff costs. Programme costs on New Deal for Lone Parents will include cases where the Department buys in provision, for example to send a lone parent on a college course, or where a refund is made to a lone parent for expenditure such as cost of child care.
	Source:
	Department for Work and Pensions Departmental Report 2004

Fuel Poverty

Nigel Dodds: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many homes have been assisted under the Warm Homes Scheme in (a) Northern Ireland and (b) North Belfast in each year since its introduction.

John Spellar: The under-noted table identifies the number of homes assisted under the Warm Homes Scheme since its introduction.
	
		
			 Year of scheme Number of homes in Northern Ireland Number of homes in North Belfast 
		
		
			 1. July 200131 March 2002 3,146 395 
			 2. Year ending 31 March 2003 7,484 352 
			 3. Year ending 31 March 2004 7,144 483 
			 4. April 2004- (35)4,648 (36)450 
		
	
	(35) up to end December 2004
	(36) up to 25 January 2005

School Transport Contracts

Roy Beggs: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what criteria are applied in awarding school transport contracts other than the lowest cost tendered.

Barry Gardiner: In addition to the lowest cost criterion, Education and Library Boards' requirements for awarding home to school transport contracts include the following:
	Results of a Criminal Record Check;
	Driver/Hackney Licence;
	Road Service Operator's Licence;
	Appropriate DoE plates;
	Current Vehicle Test Certificate;
	Road Fund Licence;
	Vehicle Insurance;
	Public Liability Insurance;
	Satisfactory past performance; and
	Acceptable number or vehicles and drivers available
	In addition, contracts may be awarded to satisfy requirements for continuity of service from year-to-year in respect of children with special educational needs.

Sinn Fein (USA Visas)

Nigel Dodds: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what representations the Government have made to the US Administration regarding the granting of visa applications to members of Sinn Fein to enter the USA.

Paul Murphy: We have regular dialogue with the US Government on the state of the peace process; but decisions on applications for visas are a matter for the US Government.

Violent Offenders

Martin Smyth: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will introduce legislation to bring Northern Ireland arrangements for interagency assessment and management of violent offenders into line with those of England and Wales.

John Spellar: The first thematic inspection by the Criminal Justice Inspectorate Northern Ireland (CJINI) is a review of the multi-agency procedures for the risk assessment and management of sex offenders in Northern Ireland. Included in the terms of reference for the inspection is an assessment of the potential implications of legislating to place the procedures on a statutory footing and extending them to include violent offenders. I will consider the issue raised by the hon. Gentleman in light of the findings in the Chief Inspector's report, which I understand will shortly to be submitted to the Secretary of State.